Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

At the halfway point of Changbo High School, the atmosphere changed from a stagnant pool to boiling water.

Hayato Ikejiri slapped his cheeks hard, the sound so crisp it made Lu Ren on the sidelines ache. Not only the captain, but the remaining members of Chang Bo also seemed to have undergone some kind of cult ritual, their eyes bloodshot and their breathing so loud it could be heard in the audience.

"Judging from this, the other side is planning to unleash a 'friendship, effort, victory' shonen manga-style berserk mode."

Lu Ren hung the towel he used to wipe his sweat around his neck and looked at the group of NPCs opposite him who were high-fiving each other and shouting loudly. "They'll probably be charging over next, yelling lines like 'bonds'."

"Forget about bonds and all that." Ryunosuke Tanaka cracked his neck, his knuckles popping, and a savage grin spread across his face—the kind that could scare the neighbor's kids to death. "Any ball flying at me, I'll smash it to pieces!"

Lu Ren turned his head and commented expressionlessly, "Senior Tanaka, this kind of statement, 'As long as you have enough power, you can solve everything,' is usually the kind of villainous line that a mid-sized BOSS in a dungeon walkthrough would say, someone who doesn't survive more than three episodes and just gives the protagonist experience."

"Huh? Who are you calling the villain?"

"Alright, enough talk." Sawamura Daichi interrupted their usual banter. His expression was calm, but it was a calmness that suppressed his anger. "We haven't won yet, so focus on the court."

The score is 15-24.

Karasuno's game point, Tokiwa's precipice.

At this moment when losing just one more point would lead to a complete collapse, Chang Bo displayed a kind of resilience known as "a last gasp before death."

It's Tanaka's turn to serve.

He took a running start, jumped, and delivered a powerful overhead serve straight to the opponent's baseline. Chang Bo's libero almost flew out of the air, awkwardly managing to bounce the ball back up.

"Pass it to me!" Ikejiri Hayato shouted.

The ball wobbled towards the net, and the setter gritted his teeth and forced the ball into Ikejiri's hands before losing his balance.

Ikejiri takes off.

Before him, Hyuga and Daichi rose up from the ground like a wall that had suddenly appeared.

"Tsk, too much pressure, his movements are all wrong." Lu Ren, standing in the back row, could tell at a glance that Ikejiri's spike was too hard.

Sure enough, the ball slammed into the ground with a dull thud. But Changbo was lucky; the ball didn't land directly but bounced towards Karasuno's backcourt.

"I'll do it!" Dong Fengxu leaped and managed to hook the ball back with his arm.

"Kageyama!"

Kageyama Tobio didn't even look at Hinata's position; this tacit understanding was already etched into his muscle memory. The volleyball flew precisely above Hinata, who sprang up like a nimble cat, swinging his arm in a wide arc.

"Bang!"

What should have been a game-winning spike was blocked by Chang Bo's blocker's shoulder. The ball flew extremely high and landed in front of Chang Bo's setter.

At this moment, Chang Bo's rhythm suddenly became astonishingly fast.

The setter didn't even look up, making a back pass in mid-air. One of Changbo's middle blockers burst out from the flank, and before Karasuno's block could get into position, he used the time difference to poke the ball into Karasuno's open space.

"Beep—!"

Chang Bo scores. 16:24.

"Yay!!!"

Chang Bo's bench erupted in cheers as his teammates rushed onto the court as if they had just received their tickets to the national tournament.

Nishitani Yu scratched her head in frustration: "Damn it, that ball landed in such a sneaky spot! I'll definitely catch the next one!"

"Don't worry about it, we'll get the next ball back." Daichi patted Nishiya on the shoulder, turned around, and found that Tokiwa's men were staring at them.

It was a very strange look in his eyes.

With surprise, resentment, and a sense of relief at being recognized.

From Tokoro's perspective, the Karasuno High School team in front of him showed no signs of letting up, even though their opponents were considered "minor players." Whether it was the terrifying setter, the monstrous quick attacker, or even the seemingly lazy "repairman," their eyes were only focused on winning and losing.

In this stadium, probably no one would pay attention to Chang Bo. The audience was waiting for Qingcheng's match, and the commentators were talking about Date Kogyo's impenetrable defense. Only Karasuno truly regarded them as enemies that had to be overcome.

Lu Ren stood there, watching his opponents who had regained their fighting spirit, and his "gamer" mindset started to work automatically again.

In a highly challenging real-world game like sports competitions, what should you do when you encounter a so-called weak team?

Going easy on them? That's an insult to the rules.

Pity? That's trampling on the opponent's dignity.

Lu Ren rotated his wrist.

If this is a war, the greatest respect for a race is to use all force to completely exterminate it, leaving no possibility of it rising again.

Since you've been trying so hard to prove you existed, I'll send you to be wiped out of the save file with the perfect completion rating.

Changbo serves.

The ball traced a mediocre arc.

Lu Ren firmly planted himself in a horse stance, his hands clasped together, and the ball accurately struck the sweet spot on his forearm, producing a crisp "snap".

"The first pass is in place," Lu Ren calmly uttered four words.

Hinata Shoyo began running frantically, his figure leaving afterimages in front of the net, successfully attracting the attention of Tokiwa's two blockers.

Kageyama Tobio's fingers touched the ball.

He didn't pass it to Hyuga, nor to Tanaka on the flank.

The ball flew towards the center in an extremely high arc.

Daichi Sawamura takes a running start and jumps.

This shot was a powerful strike from the captain.

"Thump!"

The volleyball, like a meteorite falling to earth, smashed through Chang Bo's crumbling defense, leaving a trembling echo on the floor.

"Beep—beep—!!!"

A long whistle sounded.

The first game ended with a score of 25-16.

Karasuno High School wins.

The post-match procedures are always tedious and cumbersome: handshakes, greetings, packing luggage.

While everyone was moving equipment, Lu Ren slipped away to the restroom to wash his face. The cold water splashed on his face, which greatly reduced the slight sense of adolescent angst he had felt earlier because of the "genocide theory".

Just as he stepped out of the restroom and around the corner, he bumped into several team members wearing Changbo's school uniform.

It was that setter and a few starters from earlier.

"Hey," Lu Ren spoke first, "Where's your captain?"

Chang Bo's setter paused, his eyes still showing the disappointment of losing the game, and subconsciously replied, "I don't know, probably went to the equipment room..." He suddenly realized what he was saying, his eyes widening, "Wait a minute! You...you're the one who sneaked into our school to fix the light bulbs that day!"

Several teammates nearby also remembered, and they surrounded him menacingly. Although they were not as tall as Lu Ren, they were quite imposing.

"You bastard, you actually resorted to such despicable reconnaissance!"

Lu Ren leaned against the corridor wall, spreading his hands nonchalantly: "Don't get so worked up. Actually, given the difference in strength between our two teams, the outcome wouldn't have changed even if I hadn't gone to scout. You should be glad I went; at least I fixed three broken light bulbs for you that day—that was personal volunteer work."

"You..." Chang Bo's team members were speechless with anger, but soon, their anger turned into a deep sense of defeat, and they all lowered their heads.

"What's wrong? Did I hit the nail on the head? Do you feel reality is too cruel and want to go back to the starting village?" Lu Ren's voice remained flat.

A deathly silence fell over the corridor.

"Cheer up." Lu Ren looked at them, his tone slightly more serious. "Listen carefully, there are tens of thousands of players playing volleyball across Japan. There are monsters stronger than you everywhere. Failure is the norm in this game. If you get discouraged just because of one failed dungeon, then why did you even click on the 'volleyball' icon in the first place?"

Chang Bo's group looked up in surprise at the guy who had just been so sarcastic.

"I've watched your training," Lu Ren continued, adding insult to injury. "You just coast along, thinking you've done your best just to complete the daily tasks assigned by the coach. If this is all the 'effort' you've put in, what makes you think you can win? What makes you think you're stronger than those who train until they're exhausted every day?"

He straightened up, ready to walk around them and leave.

"etc!"

Chang Bo's main attacker blocked him, his fists clenched and his eyes a little red.

Lu Ren stopped in his tracks.

"Next time..." the team member gritted his teeth, his voice trembling but clear, "Next time, we will definitely defeat you! We definitely will!"

Lu Ren looked at him for a long while, and then his lips twitched slightly.

"Then I suggest you double your training volume first. We'll see."

He waved his hand and walked into the shadows of the stadium without looking back.

Walking through the corridor, at the exit leading to the parking lot, a familiar figure was leaning against a vending machine.

Qingze Yazhi was holding two cans of hot coffee. When she saw Lu Ren walking over, she casually tossed one of the cans to him.

"Hey, Coach Lu, that was quite a moving speech," Ya Zhi said with a smile. "I didn't know you could fix light bulbs and also be a part-time spiritual mentor!"

Lu Ren took the coffee, pulled the tab, took a sip, and squinted because it was too hot.

"I'm just cleaning up outdated cutscenes," Lu Ren muttered. "Watching too many of these flashbacks of the defeated will affect my efficiency in the subsequent strategy."

"Yes, yes, yes, my proud and aloof player." Yazhi walked over and naturally took his arm. "Ready for the next dungeon?"

Lu Ren looked at the Aoba City West School Team warming up in the distance, and Oikawa Tetsu waving at the girls in the stands.

"Ah." Lu Ren squeezed the coffee can. "That BOSS has a damage reflection buff, so we'll have to step up our game."