Pre-read Command, Physics Engine Malfunction, and Opening Triple Critical Hit

The moment the whistle blew, the viscous atmosphere instantly vanished, replaced by a hair-raising tension.

Kageyama Tobio stood at the baseline, spinning the yellow and blue volleyball in his hands. He wasn't looking this way, his gaze focused on the ball, exuding an aura like a boss with a skull on its health bar.

It's coming.

Lu Ren silently thought, a red warning box seemingly auto-loading onto his retina.

He hadn't just been doing Stamina training these past few days. Every time he passed the gym, even during breaks from Kiyosawa Mashiba dragging him for "Body Modification," he had been observing. Observing Kageyama's toss height, the trajectory of his arm swing, the angle his wrist snapped at the moment of impact.

For a Hardcore Player, a boss's Skill Pre-animation was the best Strategy Guide.

Kageyama tossed the ball.

Ran.

Jumped.

This series of actions was as smooth as an Elaborately Rendered CG Animation. His posture in the air was stretched to the absolute limit, and then, his arm whipped down like a whip.

BOOM!

A loud explosion.

The ball, at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, shot towards the backcourt like a Cruise Missile.

That was a skill only "High-level Accounts" like Sawamura Daichi and Tanaka Ryūnosuke could handle. For a Novice Village Character, this hit would be enough to inflict a Fatal Critical Hit.

However, a second before the ball hit the ground, a figure appeared at the landing spot with extreme abruptness.

Lu Ren spread his legs, his center of gravity low, arms clasped together and extended. He didn't chase the ball; instead, like a Prescient Cheater, he was already standing there a second in advance—the "Guaranteed Hit Zone" calculated through countless simulated computations in his mind.

"Receive Attack Check: Success."

WHACK!

The volleyball slammed heavily onto Lu Ren's forearm.

In that instant, Lu Ren felt his two arm bones being struck like by a sledgehammer, Pain Sensation signals uploading madly to his brain through his nerves. The system seemed to scream in his ear: [Armor Value -50, Arm Durability decreased, Debuff acquired: Paralysis].

This force was heavier than Captain Daichi's Serve! This wasn't a volleyball; it was clearly a Battering Ram.

The ball bounced high. Although the arc was a bit too high due to Insufficient Force Dissipation, it didn't fly out of bounds and instead wobbled towards the net.

The entire court fell silent for a moment.

Even Kageyama's landing motion paused, and for the first time, a clear look of surprise flashed in those sharp eyes.

"Yamaguchi! Set!" Lu Ren shouted through gritted teeth, shaking his arm that was numb from the pain.

Yamaguchi Tadashi snapped out of his daze and ran towards the landing spot in a panic: "Y-yes!"

As a novice who had never played the Set position before, Yamaguchi's pass was quite poor; the ball was too close to the net and not high enough. But for Tsukishima Kei, who was already prepared, it was enough.

The Ill-tempered Glasses Guy, despite his sharp tongue, reacted incredibly quickly. He used his height advantage to jump in place, and before Hinata Shoyo and Tanaka Ryūnosuke on the other side could organize an effective Block, he spiked the ball directly.

The ball flew through the gap in their defense and landed within the boundaries on the other side.

Sawamura Daichi blinked in surprise, then flipped the scoreboard.

1:0.

"He actually received it..." Tanaka Ryūnosuke's eyes widened as he looked at Lu Ren, who was rubbing his wrist, "That was Kageyama's killer serve!"

Tsukishima Kei pushed up his glasses, glanced back at Lu Ren, and the mocking curve of his lips slightly softened. "Lucky shot, Theory Master. But if you don't pass well next time, I won't be responsible for attacking."

"Shut up, that was Prediction," Lu Ren retorted irritably. "Hurry back to defense, the boss is about to enter Rage Phase."

Next, it was Yamaguchi Tadashi's turn to Serve.

The kid was clearly so nervous he looked like he was about to throw up, holding the ball with trembling hands. He took a deep breath and executed a basic Underhand Serve.

The ball flew softly over the net, posing no threat whatsoever.

"Opportunity Ball!"

Tanaka Ryūnosuke roared, easily bumping the ball up. The ball traced a perfect parabolic arc, landing precisely at Kageyama Tobio's position.

Lu Ren's pupils contracted sharply.

Here it comes.

Kageyama stood at the net, hands raised. And behind him, Hinata Shoyo suddenly activated.

That speed was utterly unreasonable, like an Assassin Character with Max Agility activating a Sprint Skill in a game. The Shorty with Orange Hair instantly dashed to the net, pushed off the ground with his feet, and sprang up like he was loaded with springs.

"So fast!" Yamaguchi Tadashi exclaimed.

This was not the Explosive Power of a normal human.

Lu Ren's brain was screaming alarms. If this spike went through, the Morale Blow would be devastating.

"Block!"

Lu Ren roared, his body instinctively rushing to the net, jumping alongside Tsukishima Kei.

The three met in mid-air.

Hinata Shoyo jumped incredibly high, his eyes flashing with a heart-stopping excitement, his right hand already raised high, swinging fiercely at the volleyball in the air.