Newbie Village Monster Encyclopedia, Debuffs All Over and Never Reading a Save File

3:30 PM. The sunlight cast long shadows from the gymnasium.

Lu Ren stood at the entrance, holding his discarded uniform shoes, a look of utter despair on his face. He glanced at Kiyosawa Mashiba beside him, who had changed into her sportswear and radiated vitality.

"I say," Lu Ren yawned, his eyes still watering from the effort, "I was 'randomly' assigned a position and forced into this Instance, but aren't you a free agent? Why aren't you at your Tea Ceremony Club or Home Club, and instead following me to this place that reeks of sweat?"

"Who says I'm going home?"

Kiyosawa Mashiba clasped her hands behind her back and turned to face Lu Ren, her employee ID dangling in the sunlight. The corners of her mouth turned up, revealing a cute little canine tooth.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Kiyosawa Mashiba, the new manager for the Karasuno High School Boys' Volleyball Club."

Lu Ren blinked for two seconds.

"Manager?" He pointed at Mashiba, then at the gymnasium. "You mean the kind of thankless job that involves handing out water and towels, recording data, and enduring the shouting of a bunch of sweaty men?"

"Correction, I'm responsible for issuing quests, managing supplies, and..." Mashiba leaned closer to Lu Ren, lowering her voice. "Monitoring certain individuals to ensure they aren't slacking off. I'm the 'GM (Game Master)'."

Lu Ren's mouth twitched. "...So you're legalizing house arrest, then."

"Please guide me, Player Lu Ren." Mashiba patted his shoulder, turned, and pushed open the large door, leaving Lu Ren with a dashing silhouette. "Hurry up, being late will cost Experience Points."

Lu Ren sighed.

This wasn't an auxiliary NPC; it was clearly a portable spirit bound to his system, the kind he couldn't shake off.

Inside the gymnasium.

The air was filled with a mixture of Salonpas and floor wax. To Lu Ren, this was the scent unique to a "battlefield map."

Sawamura Daichi stood in the center of the court, holding a roster. Seeing Lu Ren enter, he nodded, his expression serious yet tinged with anticipation.

"Gather!"

At his command, the team members scattered across the court quickly converged.

Besides Tanaka Ryūnosuke and Sugawara Kōshi, whom he had met yesterday, as well as "Murderous Serve" Kageyama and "Teleporting Monster" Hinata, there were several new faces.

"Now that everyone is here, let's introduce ourselves," Sawamura Daichi said. "Mainly the new first-year club members."

Lu Ren stood at the end of the line and activated "Player Observation Mode."

The first to step forward was a lanky guy with black-rimmed glasses and a height of nearly 1.9 meters, with blond hair.

"Tsukishima Kei, first year. Position: Middle Blocker."

His voice was lazy, carrying a detached indifference, as if he were just there to observe the antics of these fools.

Lu Ren narrowed his eyes.

[NPC Dossier Updated: Tsukishima Kei]

[Attributes: Sharp-tongued, High Intellect, Master of Taunts.]

[Danger Level: A. Special Skill: Mental Attack.]

The guy's gaze towards Lu Ren held a hint of scrutiny and subtle disdain, like a max-level player in a starting village spotting a newbie in white-plate gear.

The subtext of "Heh, another hot-blooded idiot" was almost palpable, threatening to hit Lu Ren in the face.

Lu Ren mentally marked him: High-Risk Red-Name Monster. Recommend kiting from a distance; direct melee engagement is ill-advised.

Immediately after Tsukishima, a freckled boy emerged from behind him.

"I'm Yamaguchi Tadashi, first year. Position... also Middle Blocker."

As he spoke, his eyes kept darting towards Tsukishima, clearly following his lead.

[NPC Dossier Updated: Yamaguchi Tadashi]

[Attributes: Follower, Loyal, Lacks Confidence.]

[Danger Level: C. Special Skill: Summon Tsukishima.]

Lu Ren understood. Wasn't this the typical companion monster found in RPGs, usually responsible for buffing the BOSS or acting as a meat shield? He seemed to be bullied... no, suppressed by the great demon Tsukishima, his childhood friend.

Finally, a second-year senior who looked utterly unremarkable, even like a background extra.

"Ennoshita Chikara, second year. Position: Ace Attacker."

[NPC Dossier Updated: Ennoshita Chikara]

[Attributes: Balanced, Steady, Reserve Captain Material.]

[Danger Level: B. Special Skill: Stealth (crossed out) Low Presence.]

His appearance and demeanor screamed "Save Point NPC." He looked the most normal, and probably the most difficult to deal with—because he had no obvious weaknesses.

"Alright, everyone knows each other now," Sawamura Daichi clapped his hands, pulling Lu Ren's thoughts back to reality. "This Saturday is the freshmen's practice match. Although it's 3-on-3, volleyball is a sport that requires stamina. Regardless of skill, basic physical fitness is a prerequisite."

Sawamura Daichi's gaze swept over everyone, lingering on Lu Ren for a second.

"Today's training session is simple. First, warm-up laps, then shuttle runs, and finally, two sets of receiving drills."

"Simple?" Lu Ren raised an eyebrow.

This sounded like the "Press W to Move Forward" from a beginner's tutorial.

"Piece of cake," Lu Ren stretched his neck, producing a crisp crack. "For someone who's cleared countless hardcore action games, mere laps..."

Ten minutes later.

"Hoo... hoo... hoo..."

Lu Ren braced himself with his hands on his knees, feeling like his lungs were a blacksmith's workshop, the bellows roaring with every breath, each inhale burning.