Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

Lu Ren moved with the team to the net and shook hands with the group of guys in red on the other side. Kuroo Tetsurou had a strong grip and smiled like a cat that had just stolen some fish, an expression that made Lu Ren want to throw the towel in his hand at his face.

Thank you for your guidance!

The two teams faced each other across the net, and then, as is customary, the coaches switched sides to give their pep talks.

Standing on Karasuno's side was the smiling coach, Nekomata. The old man stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the group of sweaty boys. His eyes no longer held the calculation he had shown during the match; instead, they revealed a sense of nostalgia.

"I've known that guy's grandfather—the former Uyang coach—for a long time."

Coach Neko spoke, his voice not loud, but it quieted down the noisy stadium.

"Our two schools used to play practice matches often, those were great times. Then I heard he retired, and recently I heard he was coming back, but before I could even be happy for a few days, he fell ill again."

The old man paused, his gaze falling on Wu Yangxi before returning to the faces of the team members.

"To be honest, I originally thought Karasuno was finished. Without that stubborn old man, the so-called 'declining powerful clan' would probably just be a nicer-sounding name. But seeing it today..."

A distinct smile curved his lips as his gaze precisely locked onto Hinata Shoyo and Kageyama Tobio.

"Your strength is beyond my imagination. Especially the quick attacks of numbers 9 and 10, that kind of reckless style of play, I doubt many people in high school volleyball could stop it on the first try."

When Hinata heard the praise, he seemed to be electrified, stiffening his chest and straightening up.

"And the two on the left." The cat then looked at Higashimine Asahi and Tanaka Ryunosuke. "Powerful smashes are very intimidating. That kind of unreasonable scoring method is exactly the type that Nekoma hates the most."

Dongfeng Xu scratched his head sheepishly, while Tanaka had a "I'm the best in the world" expression on his face.

"but."

The cat then changed its tone, becoming sharp.

"As a team, you are too rough. Receiving the ball, covering positions, and linking up play—these are the basic skills that hold a team together, and you've done them terribly. Karasuno right now is like a sharp blade without a sheath, hurting others and hurting yourselves."

Lu Ren nodded silently in his heart. The old man's judgment was very accurate. In today's match, apart from the explosive performances of Kageyama and Hyuga, Karasuno spent most of the time running around due to defensive mistakes.

"However, it is precisely because you are unpolished that you possess overwhelming potential."

Coach Cat put on his kind face again.

"With training, you'll fill those gaps and become quite strong. I'm glad to have such excellent opponents before I retire."

He raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the old stadium and looking into the distance.

"Next up are the national tournament preliminaries. In front of a huge audience, in a place brimming with emotions, in that enormous, gleaming stadium in Tokyo..."

The old man stretched out his hand and pointed at the crowd.

"Let's have a real 'dumpster showdown.' Not one of these pointless practice matches, but the best kind of match where the loser goes home."

These words were like a spark thrown into Karasuno's already flammable haystack.

"yes!!!"

The roar made the ceiling vibrate.

As soon as the dismissal whistle blew, Lu Ren completely abandoned his dignity as a "human," slid down the wall, and collapsed onto the edge of the floor.

too tired.

This exhaustion wasn't just physical; it was also mental torture. Playing against Nekoma was like playing a Souls-like game with no save points and monsters that infinitely regenerate health. Every point required a long, drawn-out battle, keeping your brain constantly overloaded.

"Whoosh! Snap! Swish! Clang!"

A strange noise came from the side. Lu Ren turned his head with difficulty and saw Hinata dancing and gesturing wildly as he followed Inokoma's No. 7, Inuoka, engaging in some kind of interspecies communication.

"How did you jump up like that just now?" Inuoka asked, his eyes sparkling.

"That's it! You dart over there in a flash, then jump up with a thud, and the ball comes 'thud' right over you!" Hinata demonstrated his famously exaggerated movements.

"Oh, I get it! I tried to stop you with a 'bang,' but you vanished in a flash!"

The two single-celled organisms were able to communicate without any obstacles, and the surrounding area seemed to radiate a kind of high-temperature radiation called "innocence".

Lu Ren felt a stinging pain in his eyes. The radiance emanating from this hot-blooded idiot was like a lethal dose of ultraviolet radiation to a weary player like him, crawling in the shadows.

"It's too dazzling..."

Lu Ren covered his eyes and crawled two meters to the side, trying to get away from the two humanoid glowing figures.

As soon as he climbed out of the radiation zone, he felt a chill down his spine.

Turning his head, he saw Kageyama Tobio staring intently at Kozume Kenma. His gaze was like that of a wolf that hadn't eaten for three days staring at a dozing cat.

Kageyama seemed to want to ask for advice on setter tactics, but his expression, which looked like he was going to seek revenge, was more like he was looking for someone to do something drastic.

"Um..." Kageyama took a step forward.

Grinding shuddered, like a small animal sensing a danger signal. He shrank his neck, not even daring to look Kageyama in the eye, and turned to sneak behind Kuroo.

"They got scared away..." Lu Ren thought to himself, giving Kageyama a mental slap on the wrist for his poor social skills.

To avoid being caught in these strange magnetic fields, Lu Ren decided to find a secluded corner to recover his health. He aimed at the storage room and was about to get up when he saw two figures exuding a sinister aura in his path.

Ryunosuke Tanaka and Taketora Yamamoto.

These two men, who looked like twins with "villainous faces," were standing face to face. Yamamoto Taketora's face was flushed red, his expression contorted, as if he were engaged in some kind of intense internal struggle.

"Um..." Yamamoto Taketaka hesitated for a long time, his voice trembling, "What's your manager's name?"

Upon hearing this, Tanaka's eyebrows shot up instantly, his alertness heightened: "Huh? What do you want?!"

"No..." Yamamoto Taketora suddenly lowered his head, tears welling up in his eyes. "I don't dare to go up and talk to him! Damn it!"

"Oh? You know about that too?" Tanaka paused for a moment, then gave Yamamoto a look of recognition, patting him on the shoulder. "Looks like you're a guy with good taste. Even though we're enemies, I acknowledge your talent!"

"My friend!"

"brother!"

The two suddenly clasped hands tightly, as if a raging fire had broken out in the background.

Lu Ren's lips twitched, and he quickly turned away. This wasn't a volleyball club; it was clearly some kind of strange philosophical seminar. The air was thick with suffocating hormones and an aura of idiocy. Staying any longer would assimilate his intelligence.

He looked around and despairingly discovered that there were hardly any normal people in the entire stadium.

Finally, his gaze fell on a corner of the bench. Tsukishima Hotaru was wearing a towel, drinking water with an indifferent expression, surrounded by a "keep away" aura.

That's it.

Lu Ren dragged his heavy steps over, plopped down next to Tsukishima, and let out a long sigh.

"Yo." Tsukishima didn't even turn his head, adjusting his glasses with his usual sarcasm. "Isn't this our 'Special Forces' player? What brings you to chat with an NPC like me who only knows how to block nets?"

Normally, Lu Ren would have retorted with "Because there are quests available from the NPCs," but now he didn't even have the energy to utter a word.

He tilted his head back, staring blankly at the light on the ceiling.

"I'm exhausted right now and don't want to argue with you." Lu Ren's voice was a little hoarse. "If you weren't here and seemed a little more like a normal human being, I wouldn't have come here to rest. It's too noisy over there, and it's full of monsters."

Tsukishima snorted softly, glancing at Hinata, who was still making a lot of noise, and then at Riku, who looked like he was about to die.

"Aren't you tired? How do you still have the energy to criticize others?"

"Because people don't expend energy when they're doing bad things or complaining." Lu Ren closed his eyes, enjoying the rare peace and quiet. "It's a game setting; you wouldn't understand."

Tsukishima didn't say anything more, but silently moved aside to give the guy who was about to die a little space.

Not far away, Sawamura Daichi was talking to Otoko's vice-captain, Kai Shinyuki, with a wry smile on their faces that said, "It's really a headache to have such a naughty kid at home."

On the other side, Sugawara Koji was holding Yoru Eisuke's hand, excitedly talking about something, probably exchanging tips on "how to take care of a genius setter" or "how to clean up the messes of these lunatics in the back row".

"Look," Lu Ren said, his eyes closed, pointing weakly in that direction, "the parents from both teams are starting their parent-teacher meeting and exchanging parenting experiences."

Tsukishima followed his finger and looked at Sawamura and Hishinyuki, who were bowing to each other. A very faint smile appeared on his lips, a rare occurrence.

"really."

"That pudding-head hairstyle is really impressive," Lu Ren suddenly blurted out out of the blue.

Tsukishima tightened his grip on the water bottle.

"Ah, I know." Tsukishima's voice was calm, but a hint of resentment flashed in his eyes. "That feeling of being seen through is very unpleasant."

"Next time..." Lu Ren muttered, his voice trailing off, "Next time, I'll empty his health bar. I have to beat the game."

"Before that, you'd better train your stamina bar to a higher level." Tsukishima stood up. "It's time to gather and close the net, number 13."

Lu Ren groaned in pain, feeling as if his body was filled with lead.

"No auto-pickup function... This game is too hardcore."

Despite grumbling, he still managed to stand up, supporting himself on his knees. Looking at his still-noisy teammates and the equally distinctive opponents on the other side, Lu Ren dusted off his pants.

A showdown at the landfill?

It sounds like a very difficult dungeon that requires collecting everything to complete.

However, since we've already accepted the mission, there's nothing we can do about it.

Lu Ren followed behind Yuedao, heading towards the noisy yet vibrant center.

"Hey, Hinata! Stop chatting, let's close the net!"