Suddenly, the nonstop quaking jolted Lyn awake.
'No, when had I even fallen asleep?'

"One of the Calamity's effects.. I should take notes just in case it will continue to affect my mental state." Hurriedly grabbed all his gear and listened out-
Rumble! Rumble!

-but the ground began to shake even fiercer, and the moonlight began to illuminate the hole he sat in as the rock cover shifted.

'I just need to get close as soon as I see the signal.' The [Absorption] skill had a range. As long as anyone got it on the ground, Lyn would theoretically be able run up and use the skill. He had faith that his partners could drag the battle in his direction as the support division leaders, so he put my head back down, sat, and waited.

'Never mind seeing what's going on, I can only hear what I assume muffled clanging.'
Still only alone with  thoughts, he thought to himself while the sound of mana rang like it never intended on stopping.

Taking one of the [Enhancement Pills] in advance, Lyn prepared to leave the hole. Full of adrenaline, he stepped out into the dusty battlefield. 'Notes, check. No pain, check. No status effects, check.'

Potentially, hours had passed. Could a sleep skill, especially from a Calamity, be that weak for it to be any less? Lyn had no way to be aware of any quirks it had since he glanced over at the system window.

'Did a battle always take this long? Maybe the stakes are higher because of the difficulty. Yes, that would make sense, right? '

As his worries continued to creep up on him, so did the suffocating life force of the Calamity. Desperately, he wanted to move this rock and make a run for it, and yet was there a reason he hadn't?

"The signal! Where's the signal!?"

Frantically he searched for the stone.

'Was it covered by the dirt in the rumbling?'

There were multiple plans to account for variations, but three important signals. One for if we were forced to run, one if they assumed the worst, and one for the all clear. Maybe they got caught up in the moment and left without a second thought. It wouldn't be the end of the world but..

'Even after all the worrying you two do!'

"Since I'm here I've got to find a chance." The stone for his evacuation had already gone off, but if he was just a little closer just maybe he could make it work. He had already took the pill that improved his reaction time, and this next one improved his physical capabilities.

'It's just up to this skill now.'
"Although, it may be slower, it doesn't make sense for the skill to not work on a dead calamity. Though it's not like the Gods would ever serve me such an opportunity on a silver platter.."

'It'll be fine. Years of testing wasn't for nothing, right..' he thought to himself, hoping to ease his mind, to not miss an audio cue, but just then it felt like the whole battleground just shook. Incomparably more violent than before.

 

"It was charging.. a mana wave?" The only thing that would make such an impact would be a powerful skill or a mana wave. Only now did he start to notice.. the battle stopped. More specifically it didn't sound like metal clashing against mana, but like the rattling of swords that fell to the ground.

 'When did the fight end? Did they see something I can't? How could you leave a poor Level 1 alone? Every single one of you should be at my door apologizing all night! Maybe not even that is enough..'

The ground continued to shake violently, if he didn't move now, Lyn would never even be able to stand straight long enough to move the heavy rock.

"Shit." He spat, quickly swallowing the pill to get up and avoid getting trapped.

Putting all his strength into moving the rock, Lyn emerged from the ground.

"Haah, I didn't even take the time to stretch." 

[The Calamity 'Husk Who Returns Home' is creating its domain!]

Finally entering the battlefield for the first time, Lyn finally received the messages he wasn't able to while outside the predetermined zone.

[Due to entering the current Domain, you will fall into the 'Deep Sleep' state!]

'God, no. Please, not me. Not now, not alone. What kind of sick luck do I have to be here! Did I not even qualify for a Luck Stat? Huh? Is that it?'

Momentarily, Lyn was sent into a panic, however..
"It's not.. working?" He paused for a moment.

"Is it the reason I fell unconscious without knowing?" Reassured he wasn't in any direct danger, he inched closer again.

"Focus, focus." Lyn settled himself and observed this opportunity more keenly.

"Another graveyard.." He muttered subconsciously, holding his nose to block the smell of blood and dust in the air. Sights like this were not foreign to him, even from the comfort of his library.

A 'Graveyard'.

The final resting place for warriors during large scale battles. Often times, the area couldn't even be entered after it formed, let alone recovered, unless another stronger team came through. Of course for a fight like this, there was no stronger team the association could pull from, especially without a plan that the calamity couldn't break through. For multiple reasons, it didn't seem like they would get the chance.

"It's not like we didn't put our all into this fight either.." Lyn began to think of the worst.

'Do I even have the chance to get my bearings out there..? Are Sunny.. and Ren..? No! Even if its a Calamity, there are no guarantees in this world. Just think! Regardless of the amount of hunters lost, it doesn't make sense for everyone to leave unless they had a reason, right? Argh, that's even worse!'

"Surely, those who woke up got away safely..." Lyn knew that there were magic focused hunters that were resistant to such states like [Deep Sleep].

"Of course, together those two are unstoppable.." He sighed. Contrary to what he said Lyn wanted to suggest that it was time Sunny, Ren, and him finally got a fourth member to their team.
'Maybe they really do need another person out in the field with them'

Feeling the reality of his situation dawn on him, Lyn pushed on. Through the dust storm, the quiet sobbing of dying hunters who couldn't be saved, the legacy artifacts of those that passed, and the Calamity was finally in his view.

A grand monster that seemed like it would swallow the sky.
A tentacled mass of life-force and darkness crawled across the battlefield.

[The Calamity 'Husk Who Returns Home' is in an [Immunity] State due to the progress of its Domain Completion]
[Please, turn away now!]

 

"Hmph, who are you to be worrying about me now, you damn tool." Getting into the mood of cursing the whole world, Lyn recklessly dashed forward. He was completely obsessed with his opportunity that became clear to him.

"No matter what, the preoccupied Calamity can't focus on me after all.." he muttered, flashing a smug smile. Everything he ever wanted was only a moment away as he ran the distance between him and the absolute being.

'Please don't fail me now.' Lyn got as close as he could and activated his only skill.

[Warning! [Absorption] skill can only be used once! Are you sure you would like to use it on the 'Husk Who Returns Home'?]

"Yes. God, yes." Without hesitation he accepted the inquiry. For a moment, Lyn felt true ecstasy.

[Due to the danger of absorbing this level of power, [Absorption] could harm you! Will you still complete the process?]

"Yes. That's perfect."

Ding~! [Calculating rewards for defeating the 'Husk Who Returns Home']
[Due to the Level difference, [Absorption] time will take much longer!]
[[Absorption] Progress 0.01%]
[Due to entering the current Domain, you will fall into the 'Deep Sleep' state!]
"You fuckers.. I did it.. alone.. screw all.. of.. you.."

As the system windows started to pile, Lyn's consciousness slowly faded.
. . .

At Lyn's Library, the only two who could enter unannounced were alone. Inside, apart from the two, were piles of notes detailing the zone of the Calamity, plans of action, and a live stream of the zone. The atmosphere was heavy enough to be felt from the outside of the room. Although, of course, no one but the pair knew why the air was so heavy.

"Sunny, stop shaking. Please." Ren couldn't help it. She wanted to break this silence that seemed like it would go on forever.
'I know. We both know, but please don't say it out loud.' Ren could only beg inward. She knew what was coming.

Sunny, with tears in his eyes, looked like he could barely contain himself. No, it was correct to say that he was ready to explode at the drop of a pin.

 

"Where is he? You definitely said he'd still be where we left him when we got back. So, Where. Is. He." Not even Sunny could tell if it was rage, sadness, or some mixture of the two he was feeling. An emotion he'd never felt  now seemed like it would never leave his side.

"..." Ren could only bite her lips, saying nothing.

 

'To not even be able to wait for a response to the signal, but if we were late then..' She couldn't even imagine what Lyn would feel if either of them died fighting for him. Even if Lyn didn't fight alongside the pair, he was still like a brother, an essential part of the team, and a lifeline for a normal slice of life. His irreplaceable presence alone, and the thought that his presence would never be filled again, left a void in their hearts.

"We couldn't even scratch the thing, Ren! There's no chance for him out there! If he was at least Level 3, we could have had a healing artifact. Fuck, I should have known. Who in their right mind would have agreed to something so stupid? To bypass a rule set for a reason-"

"S-Sunny." Ren, too distracted with her own thoughts to be shocked that Sunny cursed, noticed something different about the live stream of the battlefield immediately.

"And we can't even confirm his death! There's no weapon! No legacy artifact! No-"

"Sunny!" again, Ren interrupted his rant.

"What, Ren! There's no fixing this!" Sunny roared back, ready to keep shouting, even if it was at nothing.

"..Where's the Calamity gone?" Ren said, in disbelief at what she was seeing.

Taken aback, and confused by the question, Sunny automatically said the answer that was most obvious to himself.

"..It created its true domain, no? That was why we left?" he responded, not knowing why she was recounting events.

"But take a look at the battlefield. Do you see any changes? There's not even fog out there." Ren said, with a spark of hope reigniting her the power in her voice. The pair studied the screen intently. Too far in their own emotions to notice the movement earlier, they were now fully aware of the battlefield's current state.

"..Then.. it's possible he.." Sunny stammered, reluctant to hope.

"Haah, we really are idiots." Ren smiled for the first time she left the battlefield.

"Hahaha.." Sunny could only laugh dryly at what he was seeing.