Charged Attack, Wig Ascension, and the Demon King-Level Club Entrance Trial

The spring sunlight was a bit dazzling, streaming through the glass windows and hitting the desks.

Lu Ren pressed his face against the cool surface of the desk, trying to cool down his burning brain. The "Valkyrie" from last night had tormented him enough; six whole hours, and he'd died over a hundred times. The extreme tension in his nerves, followed by an instant release, left him in a state of illusory excitement mixed with exhaustion.

"Stop playing dead."

A hand poked his back mercilessly.

Lu Ren didn't move.

"Auntie specifically told me before she left," Kiyosawa Mashiba's voice echoed above him. "She said you absolutely, definitely, must join a club at your new school. Even the Home Club would do, just to go through the motions."

Lu Ren rolled over, leaning back in his chair, his long legs stretched out straight, blocking the aisle.

"Not going."

"Why?"

"Boring," Lu Ren yawned. "Club activities in real life have too low a return on investment. No Experience Points, no Equipment Drops, and they consume a lot of Stamina. It's a losing business."

Kiyosawa Mashiba crossed her arms. She knew this guy too well.

Soft tactics wouldn't work, so she had to get tough.

"Auntie said if you don't have any club activity records this semester, your Computer Graphics Card might mysteriously disappear."

Lu Ren shot upright.

The chair legs screeched loudly against the floor.

"This is tyranny."

"This is maternal love."

Kiyosawa Mashiba grabbed the sleeve of his school uniform and dragged him out of the classroom.

"Let's go, my young master. Karasuno High School isn't huge, but there are quite a few clubs. One of them might pique your interest a little."

Lu Ren was dragged along like a boneless mop.

People bustled through the hallway. The freshmen wore expressions of hope for the future, while Lu Ren had a look of dejection, as if he'd rather be home playing games.

"How about the Literature Club?" Kiyosawa Mashiba pointed to a poster. "You just sit there and read, no need to move."

"I'll fall asleep reading," Lu Ren glanced at it. "Besides, the club president looks like a hidden control freak. I don't like NPCs I can't control."

"Then the Basketball Club?"

"Too much running, and getting sweaty and sticky. No."

"The Soccer Club?"

"Too many people, too much social pressure."

They walked all the way down, and almost every club was rejected by Lu Ren with various bizarre reasons.

Kiyosawa Mashiba stopped. She felt her patience meter was about to run out.

"Lu Ren."

"Yeah."

"Are you trying to force me to tell Auntie about your 'Last Game' last night?"

Lu Ren shut his mouth.

They walked through the school building and arrived at the Second Gymnasium behind it.

It was much quieter here than the main campus, and the air was filled with the scent of old floor wax.

"This is the only one left," Kiyosawa Mashiba pointed to the slightly mottled large door ahead. "The Volleyball Club."

Lu Ren looked up at the sign.

The lettering was a bit faded.

"Volleyball?" Lu Ren tilted his head. "Sounds like a sport that will make your arms swell up."

"Karasuno's Volleyball Club used to be a powerhouse," Kiyosawa Mashiba began reciting her prepared homework. "Although they've declined in recent years, earning the nickname 'Fallen Powerhouse, Crows Who Cannot Fly,' their foundation is still there."

"Fallen Powerhouse?"

Lu Ren chewed on the words.

This setting sounded a bit interesting. Like those abandoned dungeons that were once glorious, now filled with scrap metal waiting for players to unearth legendary artifacts.

"Let's go in and take a look," Kiyosawa Mashiba gave him a push. "If this one doesn't work out, I'll just have to suggest you join the 'Breathing Club'."

Lu Ren reluctantly shuffled his feet forward.

Before they even got close to the door, the sharp squeak of shoes sliding on the floor could be heard from inside.

Screech--

It was the mournful cry of rubber soles suddenly stopping on the wooden floor.

This was followed by the dull thud of a ball hitting the ground.

Thump!

The sound was deep, and you could tell it carried a lot of force.

Lu Ren raised an eyebrow. This kind of impact, it didn't sound like something an ordinary casual player could produce.

Kiyosawa Mashiba pushed open the large door.

Her vision instantly widened.

The high ceiling, the bright lights, and that unique air, a mixture of sweat and Salonpas.

Lu Ren stood at the doorway, his gaze sweeping across the court.

In the center, a black-haired boy in a black tracksuit tossed a volleyball high into the air.

His posture was perfect.

You could even say it had a textbook-like beauty.

The black-haired boy ran, then jumped.

His body stretched out in the air like a taut bow.

BOOM!

His palm struck the volleyball.

The ball shot out like a cannonball, smashing into the opposite court with a terrifying whistle.

"Oh?" Lu Ren's eyes, which had been half-closed, opened a little wider.

This power, it was a bit like an Elite Monster's Charged Attack in a game.

Just then, an orange afterimage flashed into view.

It was a short person.

The speed was ridiculously fast.

It was practically like using a Teleportation Skill.

The orange-haired boy instantly appeared at the ball's landing spot, feet planted, arms brought together and extended.

But this movement...

Lu Ren was an amateur, but even he could tell that the movement was as stiff as a newly built beginner model, completely unoptimized by the Physics Engine.

"Got it!" the orange-haired boy shouted.

He had indeed gotten it.