Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The whistle blew sharply, and the game was suspended.

The players from the Sound Horse team swarmed to the sidelines. Coach Nekomata wasn't holding a tactical board, nor was he waving his fists and roaring like Ukai Koshin. The old man simply sat smiling in his chair, his expression not like he was coaching a tense volleyball match, but more like he was watching his grandson feed pigeons in a park.

"Are you panicking?" Coach Nekomata's voice wasn't loud, but it was extremely penetrating in the noisy gymnasium.

"No!" The members of the Sound Horse team answered in unison, even the usually unmotivated Kenma nodded.

"That's good." Coach Maoyou picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said slowly, "Their attack is indeed fierce. That bald kid is very strong, and number 13 is also very clever. But in volleyball, as long as the ball doesn't touch the ground, you won't lose. Keep the momentum going, make them anxious, and let them lose their composure."

"yes!"

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in Karasuno's rest area was completely different. Karasuno was furiously drawing on his tactical board, spittle flying everywhere, wishing he could step in and substitute. Riku, standing on the outer edge, unscrewed his water bottle, took a swig, and glanced across at the other side.

"Hey, is that all?" Lu Ren couldn't help but complain as he watched Yinju and the others start walking back. "Did that old man give them some kind of team buff? The casting time was way too short, not even as good as a cutscene."

"Ignore them!" Daichi Sawamura clapped and shouted, drawing everyone's attention back. "Keep this momentum going! Let's get two more points, and this round is ours!"

"oh!!!"

Everyone returned to the court. The score was 21-21.

Daichi Sawamura took a deep breath and stood behind the service line. He patted the ball, his eyes sharpening. The whistle blew, he tossed the ball, and swung his arm.

This shot didn't aim for the perfect landing point, but rather for stability. The ball crossed the net and headed straight for the back row of the ball carrier.

"Yaku!"

Nekoma's libero, Yoru Eisuke, was like a magnet; the ball had barely crossed the net before he was already at the landing point. Knees slightly bent, arms steadily sending the ball upward. A perfect first pass.

Kozuru Grinding stands in front of the net, hands raised.

Lu Ren stood on the other side of the net, staring intently at Momo's movements. This guy's passing motion was too subtle; it was impossible to tell who he was going to pass to. On the left, Yamamoto was roaring, on the right, Fukunaga Shohei was moving silently, and in the middle, Kuroo Tetsuro was preparing for a fast break.

"Never mind, it depends on who you're dealing with!" Lu Ren gritted his teeth.

Just as Lu Ren was grinding his fingers to touch the ball, he caught the moment when Fukunaga Shohei jumped.

"Over here!"

Lu Ren took a step to the side, followed closely by Hyuga and Higashimine Asahi. The three of them jumped, and their six arms formed a high wall called "Despair" in front of the net.

"close the door!"

Fukunaga Shohei's spike route was blocked. The ball slammed heavily into Higashimine Asahi's palm and bounced downwards.

"We've stopped them!" Dong Fengxu shouted excitedly.

However, just as the ball was about to hit the ground, a dark figure darted across the floor. It was Kuroo Tetsurou, the captain of Nekoma, who, after completing a fast break screen and landing, instinctively dove to save the ball with one arm.

"Snapped!"

The ball was lifted, not high, but not dead.

"Tsk, is this even a human reaction?" Lu Ren cursed inwardly as he watched the scene from the air. It was like having completely depleted the BOSS's health bar, only for the BOSS to forcibly lock its health and enter the second phase.

The ball flew towards the net. Mo Dan quickly adjusted his footwork, turned his back to the net, and pushed back with both hands.

Not for the front row!

The volleyball arced through the air, flying towards the right side of the backcourt. There, Hisense had already leaped high into the air.

Back row attack!

At that moment, Karasuno's block had just landed, and there was no time for him to jump again to organize a defense.

"Nishitani!" Sawamura yelled.

"Leave it to me!"

With a diving leap, Nishitani glided across the floor chest-to-chest, using both hands to catch the ball just before it hit the ground. The ball soared high towards the net.

"Kageyama!"

Kageyama Tobio quickly moved to the landing point. At that moment, Hyuga Shoyo had already charged in from the middle like a cannonball.

"I'll do it!" Hinata shouted, jumping with astonishing speed.

Although Inokoma's Inugami Kakeru was tall, he reacted extremely quickly and relentlessly pursued Hinata.

"Another bait?" Inugami's eyes revealed a beast-like intuition.

Kageyama's fingers touched the ball. This time, he didn't overthink it in that instant. Since the "new fast break" still needed time to gel, and since the current situation couldn't afford to be lost, then—!

Let's return to our most reliable and most aggressive trump card!

The ball didn't slow down or stop; instead, it shot towards the left wing like a black lightning bolt.

There, Dong Fengxu had already drawn his bow to its fullest extent.

"trump card!!!"

Dong Fengxu roared and poured all his power into his palm.

"Bang!"

The ball was powerful and heavy, directly blasting through the block that Yinju was trying to cover. Although Hisense made contact with the ball, its spin was too strong, and it flew sideways.

"It's not over yet!"

Yoruichi once again demonstrated his god-like defensive range, sprinting several meters before leaping and snatching the ball back from the brink of going out of bounds.

"Black Tail!"

Tetsuro Kuroo stood at the net, barely able to get the ball over the net with his overhand.

"An opportunity ball!"

Daichi Sawamura received the pass steadily. The ball flew towards Kageyama again.

This time, Hinata Shoyo didn't try to open his eyes again, nor did he check the block; he returned to his initial unorthodox quick attack. He simply trusted that the setter named Kageyama Tobio would deliver the ball to his palm.

Take a full-speed run-up, jump with all your might, close your eyes, and swing your arms.

The members of Yinju had just been thrown off balance by Dongfeng Xu's powerful dunk and had not yet had time to return to defend the middle lane.

"Whoosh—"

Kageyama's pass was so fast it was like a blur, precisely cutting through the air and striking Hinata's outstretched hand.

"Snapped!"

The sound of the ball hitting the floor was crisp and pleasant.

Before the players on the Sound Horse team could even react, the ball had already bounced off the ground.

22:21.

Karasuno overtakes!

"Yay!!!" Hinata jumped three feet high excitedly after landing. "Kageyama! That feeling just now! It was that 'whoosh'!"

Kageyama clenched his fists, and although he didn't speak, the fire in his eyes was clearly visible. Sometimes, when complex system upgrades fail, reverting to the old version is the most reliable and foolproof solution.

"Don't get too excited," Lu Ren said, trying to dampen the spirits. "That was just a successful sneak attack. That Pudding-head guy on the other side is probably already analyzing the data."

Daichi Sawamura serves again.

The ball goes over the net, and Fukunaga Shohei receives it. The first pass is perfect.

The grinding station is in front of the screen.

At this moment, the front row of Nekoma seemed to have turned into a battlefield. Kuroo was on the left, Inuoka on the right, and Yamamoto was poised to attack from the back. A three-pronged attack, or even a four-pronged one.

Lu Ren stood in front of the net, his mind racing.

If you don't stop Kuroo, his fast breaks are very difficult to defend. If you don't stop Takeru, his straight shots are very powerful. If you don't stop Inugami, this guy will run around like a mad dog.

If this were a game, there should be a red circle indicating the skill's range at this point!

"Damn it, we have no choice but to gamble!"

Lu Ren looked into Mo Yan's eyes. Those cat-like eyes were completely still, like a stagnant pool. He couldn't read anything, absolutely nothing.

The moment the grinding stone was about to be ground, Lu Ren moved.

"Black Tail!"

Lu Ren judged that Kenma would use Kuroo's height advantage to launch a fast attack, so he moved to the left to block him. Tanaka and Hinata, who were next to him, were drawn to other attackers.

However, the grinding fingers did not pass the ball.

He gently hooked his left hand.

Second attack!

The ball floated lightly over Hyuga's head as he jumped to block, landing behind the undefended three-meter line.

As Lu Ren watched the ball land in mid-air, he felt as if he had been hit on the back of the head with a stick.

"That bastard..." Lu Ren landed, gritting his teeth, "He never intended to pass the ball!"

22:22.

The score is tied again.

The grinder turned around expressionlessly, as if the second attack that had just outmaneuvered everyone was just a piece of trash he had casually tossed aside.

"Don't worry about it! Next ball!" Dadi clapped encouragingly.

Rotation. Tetsuro Kuroo serves.

Kuroo stood on the service line, holding the ball, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. His gaze swept over the net, landing directly on Lu Ren in the back row.

Lu Ren felt a chill on his back.

"This guy, he definitely did it on purpose," Lu Ren cursed inwardly. As a receiving player, defense wasn't his strong suit, and being tricked on that last play inevitably affected his composure. Was this what they called "targeting weaknesses"?

Blacktail throws the ball, takes a run-up, and jumps to serve.

The ball, spinning intensely, hurtled straight towards Lu Ren's chest.

"Don't underestimate me!" Lu Ren complained, but his body reacted quickly. He lowered his center of gravity and used his hands to support himself.

"Well done!"

Although the first pass went slightly over the net, Kageyama was able to handle it.

"Hinata!"

Kageyama shouted. "Since the old version of the aggro strategy works, let's try it again!"

Hinata rushed in from the middle, jumped, and swung his arm.

However, this time, a wall appeared in front of him.

It's not an insurmountable wall, but a wall that moves, thinks, and is full of wildness.

Inuga, go!

This first-year student from Nekoma actually kept up with Hinata's top speed. He jumped at the same time Hinata jumped, blocking the ball's path with both hands.

"Gotcha!" Inugami's eyes shone with an alarming intensity.

"Bang!"

Hyuga's spike slammed into Inuoka's palm, bouncing back onto Karasuno's court and landing in bounds.

22:23.

Soundhorse overtakes!

"Alright!!!" Inugami roared excitedly as he landed, baring his fangs at Hyuga, "Again, Shoyo!"

Hyuga landed, paused for a moment, then his fighting spirit burned even brighter: "Again! Kageyama! Once again!"

"Calm down!" Lu Ren patted Hinata on the head. "It's the other side's serve now."

Kuroo serves again.

This time, Daichi Sawamura stepped up and caught the ball steadily.

"Tanaka!"

Kageyama passed the ball to Tanaka on the left wing.

"Watch this!" Tanaka roared as he spiked the ball.

But Otoko's Yokueisuke was practically a bug; he anticipated Tanaka's cross-court shot and steadily deflected the ball.

"Chance! Counter-attack!"

He quickly organized an attack. This time, he passed the ball to his ace, Yamamoto Taketaka.

Yamamoto took a running start and jumped. His eyes were fixed on Lu Ren's defensive area.

"You, number 13! You're the one who stopped me just now!" Yamamoto roared in the air, "This time, catch me!"

There are no fancy techniques, just pure power.

Lu Ren stood in a defensive position, watching the volleyball fly towards him. He crossed his arms, ready to pass the ball.

"Bang!"

The moment the ball hit his arm, Lu Ren's expression changed.

weight!

This ball is much heavier than it looks! It's not just about power, but also about strong topspin.

Lu Ren's arm couldn't completely absorb the force; the ball hit his forearm and flew directly to the side and backward.

"Out of bounds!"

The ball flew out of bounds and hit the GG sign with a loud thud.

Lu Ren stood up, shook his numb arm, and looked at the still-smoking spot where the stone had landed. He couldn't help but complain, "Did this guy grow up eating stones? Although he's not as exaggerated as Senior Xu, this isn't the kind of power an ordinary high school student should have."

The referee blew his whistle and gestured towards Soundhorse.

22:24.

Soundhorse has reached match point.

The atmosphere in the entire stadium froze instantly. Karasuno was backed to the edge of a cliff.

"Is this... the foundation of a veteran powerhouse?" Coach Takeda clenched his fists on the sidelines, his palms sweating.

Wu Yangxi didn't speak, but just stared intently at the field.

Lu Ren rubbed his wrist, looked at the Onkoma group celebrating opposite him, and then looked at his teammates who were panting heavily beside him.

"Really..." Lu Ren sighed, his eyes gradually turning cold. "This kind of dungeon mechanism called 'Desperate Situation' is actually... a little exciting."