Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

On the railing of the second-floor stands, Kiyoko Shimizu and Aya Kiyosawa worked together to unfurl the black banner.

"Fly!"

The two words unfolded as the fabric trembled, like a silent command, instantly making the spines of the Karasuno crowd below tense.

"Alright! Let's start warming up!" Daichi Sawamura clapped his hands and shouted.

The volleyballs hit the floor with a series of "thumps," and the air was filled with the mixed smell of rubber and Salonpas spray. Lu Ren picked up a ball that had rolled to his feet and was about to line up to spike when he felt several gazes sticking to him like infrared aiming devices.

In the adjacent half of the court, several members of the Changbo High School team were pointing and whispering in this direction, their expressions gradually shifting from confusion to horror.

"Hey, look at that..."

"Huh? That's not it..."

"Isn't that the uncle who came to fix the light bulbs in the gym last week? I remember his back view very clearly!"

"Really? That middle-aged man is a high school student? You must be kidding!"

Whispers drifted through the air. Lu Ren remained unfazed, pretending not to hear, and slammed the volleyball in his hand on the ground, trying to use physical noise to mask the magical damage caused by his social mishap.

Ryunosuke Tanaka, with his sharp ears, leaned closer with a mischievous grin: "Hey, Lu Ren, it sounds like someone over there is calling for your 'Repairman' alias."

"You misheard." Lu Ren kept his eyes straight ahead and made up a lie with a straight face. "That's just random chat text from NPCs. Don't worry about it. It's probably a system bug that caused the texture to be wrong, which made them feel a sense of déjà vu."

"Really?" Sugawara Koji also came over, smiling as he looked over there. "But that commander has been staring at you the whole time, his eyes are practically popping out of their sockets."

Seeing the commotion growing, with some even trying to verify identities, Tokiwa's captain, Hayato Ikejiri, probably feeling embarrassed, sternly pushed his team members back down. Daichi Sawamura also noticed the commotion, turned around and glared at them. The oppressive look in his eyes made Riku and Tanaka instantly stand at attention and obediently line up.

Warm-up continues.

Just then, Hinata Shoyo suddenly pointed in the direction of the entrance passage and exclaimed in surprise.

"Ah! It's here! Your Majesty... no, it's that... that..." Hinata racked his brains, finally managing to squeeze out, "That scallion!"

As Kindaichi Yutaro stumbled in the newly arrived Aoba Castle West group, a vein bulging on his forehead. He whirled around, glaring fiercely at Hyuga: "Huh? Who's Shallot?! You shorty!"

Standing next to him, Kunimi Hideki remained indifferent, not even bothering to take his hands out of his pockets, and casually added, "Who else could it be but you?"

"Kunimi, whose side are you on anyway?!"

Just as Kindaichi was about to explode, a frivolous yet slightly magnetic voice came from behind them.

"Hey~ Aren't these Little Flying Hero and Little One?"

Oikawa Tetsu, dressed in the flamboyant team uniform of Aoba Johsai, stood with his hands on his hips and a signature, infuriatingly cheerful smile on his face. His gaze swept over the Karasuno members, finally settling on Riku, his eyebrows slightly raised.

"Oh? Isn't this 'Baki Hanma'? Oh, you're here too."

Lu Ren looked at the man who exuded an aura of "I'm a social butterfly," and his lips twitched. He raised his hand, pointed at Oikawa Tetsu, and turned to Hinata, saying, "Look, the world boss has spawned. This is King Oikawa, go say hello."

Although Hyuga was confused, out of trust in Lu Ren, who seemed to have a mysterious and awe-inspiring presence, she immediately shouted, "Hello! King Jiji!"

The air was quiet for a second.

The smile on Oikawa Tetsu's face froze.

"Huh?" Oikawa Tetsu pointed to his nose, his handsome face slightly contorted. "King Oikawa? Who's that?! And what's with that name that sounds like a monkey's?! I'm not a monkey!"

"Pfft." Kunimi Hide, who was behind, turned his head away, and his shoulder twitched suspiciously.

Lu Ren said calmly, "Because you love to boss people around, are noisy, and have a high opinion of yourself, this title is practically an epic skin tailor-made for you."

"You're still got that sharp tongue!" Oikawa Tetsu's forehead creased. "You really don't take any loss lying down! I came here specifically to say hello..."

"Snapped!"

A sharp, loud thud interrupted Oikawa Tetsu's complaints. Iwaizumi Hajime had appeared behind Oikawa without warning, holding a volleyball and mercilessly smashing it into the back of his captain's head.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! What are you doing, Xiaoyan?!"

"Stop making a fool of yourself, trash Kawa." Iwaizumi said with a dark face, grabbing Oikawa Toru by the collar and dragging him toward the stands like a dead dog. "The match is about to start, don't block the way."

"That's so mean! Xiaoyan, have you been getting increasingly violent towards me lately...?"

Watching the two clowns from Qingcheng leave, Lu Ren shrugged: "Looks like the BOSS battle will have to wait a bit. The current task is to clear out the mobs in front of us."

The whistle blew.

"gather!"

The players from both sides lined up in front of the net.

"Nice to meet you!!!"

The roar was deafening. Lu Ren shook hands with Chang Bo, the player opposite him on the other side of the net. Chang Bo, who had recognized him before, was shaking, his eyes filled with shock that "the old man who fixed light bulbs really knows how to play volleyball."

Back on the bench, Coach Uyang Shishin didn't give a long speech. He crossed his arms, his eyes sharp: "Listen carefully, in the first game, the atmosphere is the most important thing. No matter who the opponent is, get our rhythm going! Go!"

"yes!"

The group formed a circle, their palms stacked together.

"Kanasano—Fight!!!"

Lu Ren stood on the court and stretched his ankle. The starting lineup was quite aggressive: in the front row were him, Hyuga, and Tanaka; in the back row were Kageyama, Higashimine Asahi, and Sawamura Daichi.

This is a formation with maximum offensive power.

"It's like using all your ultimate abilities right at the start of the game," Lu Ren mentally defined the formation. "They're trying to psychologically traumatize the opponent."

Changbo serves.

The ball's trajectory was straight, and its speed wasn't fast; it was a standard safe shot. Lu Ren didn't even need to activate his "data eye" to determine the landing point.

"Asahi!" Daichi Sawamura shouted.

Higashimine Asahi steadily set up the ball, delivering a perfect first pass. The volleyball traced a soft arc, flying precisely towards Kageyama Tobio's head.

Kageyama stood in front of the net, his hands raised. In that instant, his mind raced.

Who gets the first ball?

Fast attack? Or aggressive attack?

The goal is to instill fear in the opponent while simultaneously maximizing the morale of one's own side.

Kageyama's gaze swept across the air, and without the slightest hesitation, he passed the ball from behind.

The volleyball flew towards the left wing.

There, a bald man was jumping with a ferocious grin on his face.

"Great!!!" Tanaka Ryunosuke roared in the air. Facing the two-person blocking net hastily formed by Tokina, he made no attempt to dodge and swung his arm down like a whip.

A diagonal spike right to the inside corner!

"Bang!"

The volleyball smashed through the blocker's arm, slammed heavily onto the floor, and bounced into the stands.

The whistle blew.

"Aaaaaaah!!!"

After landing, Tanaka clenched his fists and roared to the sky. Hyuga and Nishiya also rushed over, the three single-celled organisms huddled together and let out strange, incomprehensible cries, so loud they almost lifted the roof off.

Sawamura Daichi walked over, intending to say something, but was completely drowned out by the noise.

"Hey! That's too noisy! Turn it down a bit!" Veins popped out on Dadi's forehead, and he could only resort to roaring to stop the noise pollution.

Lu Ren stood aside, watching this scene, and couldn't help but sigh, "Is this what they call the 'Barbarian Roar' skill? Although it doesn't deal any real damage, its mental pollution effect is outstanding."

The match continues. Tanaka serves.

Changbo's first pass was a bit messy, but he still managed to organize an attack. Ikejiri Hayato gritted his teeth and spiked the ball.

"One touch!"

Daichi Sawamura leaped from the back row, his fingers brushing against the ball. The volleyball changed trajectory, flying low and fast towards the edge of the court.

"Oh no..." My heart sank as I landed on the ground.

Just then, a figure slid sideways and rushed out.

Lu Ren stared at the ball, the prediction line for its landing point in his mind already turned red. He didn't use a conventional diving tackle, but instead, like a goalkeeper making a save, his body stretched out to the extreme, and he placed one hand under the ball just before it hit the ground.

"Smack."

The ball was saved and bounced high back onto the field.

"Good save! Lu Ren!" Da Di shouted, quickly adjusting his position as a substitute setter and setting the ball to the left. "Xu! It's your turn!"

Dong Fengxu started his run-up from behind the three-meter line.

Chang Bo's blocking team members hurriedly moved, and the three of them formed a wall in front of the net.

"Three people blocking the net!"

"I'm being watched closely!"

Exclamations erupted from the audience.

However, Dong Fengxu showed no fear on his face. He leaped high into the air, his long hair flying behind him, and the momentary feeling of being suspended in mid-air made him look like a lion that had broken free of its chains.

Faced with a triple block, he did not choose a skillful attempt to knock the ball out of bounds, but instead opted for the purest form of power to overwhelm the opponent.

boom!

The sound of a hand striking the volleyball was dull and unsettling. The volleyball, like a cannonball, blasted past the blocker's fingers and slammed into the baseline in the backcourt.

The referee's flag is lowered. A point is scored.

There was a moment of silence, followed by a burst of whispers.

"Hey, is that long-haired girl really a high school student?"

"He looks like he's about thirty years old, doesn't he?"

"I heard he repeated a grade for five years, he's the legendary 'Karasu Bancho'..."

"Really? Is he some kind of gangster?"

Dong Fengxu was still immersed in the exhilarating feeling of spiking the ball, but upon hearing these comments, his entire being instantly paled, turning into a grayish-white line drawing, and even some spiritual matter floated out of his mouth.

"Five years of repeating a grade... thirty years old..." He clutched his chest, looking utterly hopeless.

Lu Ren walked over and patted him on the shoulder: "Look on the bright side, Senior Xu. This shows that your intimidation power has reached a level that transcends age and species; this is a bonus from hidden attributes."

"There's nothing to be happy about at all!" Dongfeng Xu was on the verge of tears.

The score came to 2:0.

It was Karasuno's turn to serve. Tanaka served again, and Tokiwa received it well this time, not giving Karasuno a direct counterattack opportunity. After the ball crossed the net, Nishitani Yu cut in like lightning and steadily raised the ball.

"Great pass!"

Kageyama stood under the net, and the volleyball flew towards him.

Just then, an orange figure started moving from the other end of the field.

Hinata Shoyo wasn't watching the ball; his eyes were only on the empty net, unobstructed by anyone. Like a wild beast spotting its prey, he sprinted diagonally, his speed leaving afterimages on his retina.

Chang Bo's blockers were still watching the ball's trajectory and hadn't even had time to react.

Hinata jumped.

He leaped into the air in front of the net, his body like a fully drawn bow.

"What is this guy going to do? The ball hasn't even been passed yet!" This thought just flashed through the minds of Chang Bo's players.

The next second, Kageyama's fingers touched the volleyball.

There was no pause, no observation.

That was an absurdly fast straight pass.

The volleyball appeared as if by teleportation, right in front of Hinata's outstretched hand.

"Bang!"

Hinata closed his eyes and swung his arm with all his might.

The sound of the ball hitting the floor was even crisper and faster than Xu's shot earlier.

Chang Bo's blocker didn't even have time to jump before the ball bounced off the ground.

The entire stadium seemed to have been muted.

The only sound was the volleyball rolling on the ground.

Hinata landed, opened her eyes, and excitedly clenched her fist: "Yay!!!"

Although Kageyama still had that sour face, a barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth: "So slow, you idiot."

Looking at the blank expression on Chang Bo's face, as if asking "Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?", Lu Ren couldn't help but whistle in his mind.

"Although it's still the 'blind' version with eyes closed, the effect of this first-time kill..." Lu Ren pushed up his non-existent glasses, "It really takes 'disregard for martial ethics' to the extreme."

This is the monster combination of Karasuno.

Only pauses called "loading bar" and fast attacks called "rollback" do not exist here.

There's only a screen freeze called "Crash" here, a gift for every opponent who encounters this freak duo for the first time.