Classmancers - A MOBA Esport Story - Part 3

Vol.19 Ch.7: Cornelia's Deadly Serves

The volleyball scrimmage kicked off. Naturally, the one who insisted on being the first server of the match was none other than Cornelia von Galen. She grabbed the ball before anybody had the chance to object and positioned herself at the baseline.

"Fiona Landberht!" Cornelia thrust her finger toward the other side of the court. "I challenge thee! If you truly consider yourself a noble on par with myself, then let's see you stop my elegant serves!"

"Very well," Fiona replied. I should have no problem stopping your serves, provided they successfully head in my direction in the first place.

She kept that part to herself but everybody on the court thought the exact same thing. Anybody who watched Cornelia's warm-up today could tell how fickle her aim was.

With that said, this shaky aim was troublesome for Fiona's team in its own way. Life would be so much easier for the defenders if Cornelia aimed her shots at Fiona as she declared.

"Hey," Daniella interjected in a low voice. "I'm just making sure here, but you're not actually planning to aim at Fiona, right?"

"Huh? Of course I do." Cornelia puffed her chest. "I am a noble, after all. Once I've sent a formal invitation for a duel, there is no going back on my word."

"Well, I guess it'll be fine." Daniella shrugged. It's not like her shots will go where she wants them to, anyway.

Not a single soul on this court believed that Cornelia's declaration of war had any substance to it. But, on the other hand, the girl herself? She was convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that all her shots will properly find their target.

"Listen up," Daniella addressed the others. "Those of you on the front, I suggest covering your heads, just in case."

"Haha..." The girls smiled nervously and did as the captain instructed.

There was already one infamous case in which somebody received the full force of Cornelia's serve and it didn't end well. So, better safe than sorry.

WHISTLE! The coach announced the start of the game.

"Brace thyself, Fiona Landberht!" Cornelia tossed the ball into the air and leaped toward it, like a leopard trying to catch a bird in mid-flight! She swung her arm and struck the ball with all her noble strength!

BAM! The usual ominous sound exploded across the courtroom. The loudness alone was enough to make some of the receivers lose heart, yet they had no choice but to stand their guard against the incoming missile.

"A-Ah!" One of the girls yelped as she tried to receive the incoming meteor. BAM! The ball mercilessly smashed her hands and slipped to the side. It had no intention of going back into the air.

Thud. Thud. Thud. The ball landed on the floor and jumped a few times before going silent.

"S-Sorry..." The girl apologized for her blunder.

Her teammates comforted her. "It's okay, don't worry." "Yeah, these serves are super hard to receive." "And, they hurt as hell, too."

There was some truth to their words. Cornelia's serves were just as fierce as her spikes, so they were rather difficult for most girls to stop.

However, it was no excuse to sweep the failure under the rug. Every mess-up like this costs a point for the entire team, so nobody should treat such incidents lightly.

"Cornelia's serves are indeed intense," Fiona said. "On top of that, they often have a spin to them, so do not rush to receive them. The high speed might fool you into thinking the ball will soon hit the floor, but the spin often makes it change trajectory shortly before that."