Forced Party, Unwilling Calories, and Enabling Friendly Fire

Saturday morning, before the sparrows outside even started their morning meeting, Lu Ren's eyes were already open.

He lay in bed for two seconds, tentatively moving his thighs, which felt like they had been disassembled and reassembled yesterday. The expected soreness didn't arrive; instead, there was a long-lost sense of lightness. It seemed the Violent Female Healer's methods, though brutal, were indeed effective. This was probably what they called "hurting teammates to enhance buff effects."

Lu Ren rolled out of bed. After a simple wash, he spread a yoga mat on the floor. He didn't do any strenuous movements, just followed a few basic stretching poses from Volleyball Tactics Illustrated, opening and closing himself like a folding chair. If he didn't warm up his body now, he'd definitely lag in the Instance.

During breakfast, Lu Ren ate an extra fried egg, citing, "Before a Raid Battle, one must eat full Stat Food."

As soon as he put on his bag and stepped outside, Kiyosawa Mashiba was already waiting at the intersection. She wasn't wearing her school uniform today, opting for comfortable sportswear. Her ponytail was tied high, and she carried that thick scorebook.

"Morning, Mr. All-Around," Mashiba looked him up and down, then shoved a bottle of sports drink into his arms. "Looks like last night's 'maintenance' was successful; you didn't turn into a zombie today."

"Thanks to you, my HP bar is full again," Lu Ren unscrewed the cap and took a sip. It was lemon-flavored, a bit too sour. "Let's go, time to witness that Demon King Level Instance."

They walked towards the school side by side. The campus was quiet on a weekend, with only the faint, sharp screech of shoes on the floor drifting from the direction of the gymnasium.

Pushing open the gym doors, a wave of heat and shouts washed over them.

"One more ball!!" Hinata Shoyo's voice was incredibly penetrating, making Lu Ren's eardrums buzz.

Inside the gym, several people were already practicing intensely. Tanaka Ryūnosuke, shirtless, was waving his jersey around. Kageyama Tobio was practicing tosses against the wall, his gaze so focused it was like he was performing some kind of precision surgery.

Sawamura Daichi, holding a clipboard, nodded when he saw Lu Ren enter. "You're here? Everyone else has arrived."

Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and gathered in the center.

The atmosphere was a bit tense. Although Hinata and Kageyama stood together, there was a "don't talk to me" low-pressure zone between them. Tsukishima Kei stood by the net post, wearing his signature mocking smile, with Yamaguchi Tadashi still attached to him like a dutiful accessory.

"Today's 3-on-3 has simple rules," Sawamura Daichi surveyed everyone. "Best of three sets. This will not only decide if Hinata and Kageyama can officially join the club, but also allow us to observe the practical abilities of you newcomers, Lu Ren, and assign future positions."

Lu Ren stared at the team roster in Sawamura's hand, a bad feeling suddenly dawning on him.

"The teams are as follows," Sawamura Daichi announced. "Team A: Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shoyo, Tanaka Ryūnosuke."

As expected, those three together formed a high-burst, high-aggro melee team.

"Team B..." Sawamura Daichi paused, his gaze falling on Lu Ren. "Lu Ren, Tsukishima Kei, Yamaguchi Tadashi."

The air fell silent for a second.

Lu Ren turned his head to look at the blonde guy with glasses beside him, who was a head taller than him. Tsukishima Kei happened to look down as well, a ridiculously smug curve forming at the corner of his mouth. He pushed up his glasses. "Oh my, looks like I'll be playing games with two newbies. What a chore."

"Sorry, Tsukishima, I'll try my best not to drag you down!" Yamaguchi Tadashi immediately chimed in.

Lu Ren's eyebrow twitched.

What kind of hellish matchup was this? The opponents had a Genius Setter with a Protagonist Halo, a Stamina Monster, and a powerful Second Year Wing Spiker. And his team? A me who wasn't even max level, a seemingly timid follower, and a trash-talking sharp-tongued guy.

Was the system's matchmaking broken? Was this a bronze game with a king mixed in, or was it deliberately letting him, a Bystander NPC, experience the hardships of the world?

"Um, Captain Daichi," Lu Ren raised his hand, his expression serious. "I'd like to request a server change... ah, no, a team change."

Sawamura Daichi blinked. "Why?"

"Incompatible," Lu Ren pointed at Tsukishima Kei, stating frankly, "This player's Chat Channel is too dirty, severely affecting my gaming experience. I'm afraid I might lose control and initiate Player vs Player combat with him mid-game."

Tsukishima Kei let out a light laugh. "Oh? So the so-called 'Gaming Prodigy' has such poor mental fortitude? Can't handle a few honest words?"

"See," Lu Ren spread his hands. "He's still outputting."

Sawamura Daichi rubbed his temples with a headache. He glanced at the opposing team.

Over there, Tanaka Ryūnosuke had his arm around Hinata Shoyo's neck, shouting loudly, "Today, we'll show these first-years the dignity of seniors! We're gonna spike them into the ground!"

Hinata Shoyo's face was flushed red, and he clenched his fists, shouting, "Ohh! Spike them into the ground!!"

Although Kageyama Tobio said nothing, he exuded an aura of "death to anyone who blocks me."

"Um... Lu Ren," Sawamura Daichi pointed at the three hyped-up players on the other side. "If you want to switch, I can swap you over and bring Tanaka here. Would you like to go over there?"