[The Voice Villain's Weakness]

The heat of battle had yet to fade. The faint, rising steam only served to add a layer of credibility to her overwhelming strength.

"U-uh."

"Rakia... Belz."

Her gaze, seemingly indifferent, was filled with the predatory intensity of a beast—the kind of beast that was always ready to tear its prey to shreds.

One by one, the other Hunters cleared the area.

-Thud.

Reaching the center of the chaotic scene, she looked down at the corpses strewn carelessly across the ground.

"A Hunter has been murdered."

"Yeah."

"Do you know who did this?"

"Hmm."

She knew exactly who it was. The marks of a powerful strike from something chain-like, the signs of being swept aside—and, most decisively, the state of the Hunters' crushed bodies.

'Kim Doyun.'

His attack style was as good as an ID card. But perhaps this was only identifiable to Rakia Belz, who had spent a long time by his side.

"Hmph."

"....?"

"I know."

"Who is it?"

"Do I have an obligation to tell you?"

"W-what..."

The Hunter who had first asked Rakia Belz was left dumbfounded. To think she knew the prime suspect in a gruesome murder case and refused to speak up.

"Look, don't go sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."

"B-but! If we just let a murder between Hunters in the Tower slide, there will surely be chaos..."

"We all know what's going on here, so let's not pretend to be the good guys."

Only then did the Hunter shut his mouth. The ones who had attacked were already dead, their mouths silenced forever. They had ganged up on a lone individual, and they had simply paid the price for it.

"Ugh, ugh."

As a Hunter watching the scene began to retch, a Hunter with fox ears approached Rakia Belz.

"Hey."

"What is it? I'm not telling you, so stop asking. Or do you want to fight me right now?"

"...No! Don't you remember me?"

"I don't."

The fox-eared beastkin wore a look of grievance, but nothing changed. For them, the memories of the 5th floor had long since faded into the distance.

"I just want to ask one thing! Rakia Belz, are you in a party with the Hunter named Kim Doyun?"

"...."

At those words, Rakia Belz's demeanor softened for a fleeting moment.

"...Does it look that way?"

"A-are you not?"

"It might become that way soon."

"What is that supposed to mean..."

"I'm just saying it's highly probable."

With a shrug of her shoulders, Rakia Belz dove straight into the boss room. She had already acquired enough experience points. There was nothing left in this stage that could stop her—not knowing what kind of hell awaited her beyond the boss room.

#

-Grrr-rumble.

"Damn it, again!"

The boss monster known as the Memoratrix possessed a wide array of area-of-effect attacks befitting its massive size. And the most powerful and terrifying among them was, of course:

It was a skill taught to him by the user who was both the boss mob's other self and its true master. Following the ominous howl, the ground shook with anxiety. Doyun didn't hesitate; he used his chains to pull himself away from the vicinity.

'I was almost there...!'

He had just barely managed to get close enough for his attack to land. Was this Memoratrix playing with him? It had used the same skill at the exact same timing for the umpteenth time.

What should he do? Should he try a ranged attack? But Doyun didn't have any real means of ranged combat. Even Eira could only reach a mid-range distance at best.

Doyun, hiding behind a building to avoid the monster's gaze, opened the Gallery.

"No way."

Doyun tapped the Gallery tab again with an incredulous tone.

The weak point on top of the Memoratrix's head. He recalled the figure that had seduced him like a living person when he first encountered it.

-Boom! Boom!

Watching the Memoratrix, furious and searching for him, Doyun gauged the attack distance for a moment.

'Can I do it?'

He hadn't believed it, but it really was the weak point. "Eira."

"Mm?"

"Can you launch me up there?"

Perhaps, just perhaps, he could do it. He just needed to erase the timing for its AoE attacks. However, he needed a body that could withstand Eira's strength and the dynamic vision to track the target.

-Whoosh...!

Doyun, having drawn up his mana once more, focused his gaze. The target was the woman-shaped bait. He didn't know if a single attack would work, but he had to keep trying.

"I can do it!"

"That's a relief. Then get ready and launch me up right now."

"Okay!"

-Clatter.

The blood-red chains that had been wrapped around Doyun's left arm coiled around him and a support pillar, respectively.

"....!"

The monster still hadn't discovered him. As quietly as possible. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

As if preparing a trump card, Doyun steeled his heart at Eira's signal.

-Click.

He heard the sound of the chain links reaching their limit. It meant they were stretched as tight as they could go. And at that moment—

-Whoosh!

His vision soared into the air in an instant. The Memoratrix reacted, having finally spotted him, but Doyun was already surging forward with force.

-Vrrrrm!!

Feeling the air resistance pushing against his skin with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all its might, he readied the Goblin Warlord's curved sword. The blade was pointed toward the upper body.

"...?"

The yellow-glowing woman, who had been gazing into the void with leisure, turned to look at Doyun. Her innocent expression, knowing nothing, made him feel a strange sensation.

-Twitch!

'At this timing.'

His mind almost wavered for a split second, but he focused and swung his attack.

-Slash!

The diagonal attack landed smoothly. Doyun watched the woman's damage at that moment. She staggered for an instant, but he didn't feel like the attack had been fatal.

'Too shallow.'

The moment he thought that—

"Kuaaaaaa!!"

The Memoratrix, which Doyun had been standing on, twisted its body and shook the ground in the area violently.

"Eira."

As he skillfully called her name, the chains responded immediately, pulling his body far away. No sooner had he escaped the Memoratrix's head than a sonic boom swept over him.

"Ugh."

A groan leaked through his clenched teeth. It was because he hadn't fully escaped the attack range. Turning his gaze to the source of the pain, he noticed his foot was bent in the opposite direction.

"Are you okay?!" Eira shouted in concern.

"Yeah. I'm okay."

In truth, he was not okay. He wanted to roll on the ground and scream. But the situation wouldn't allow for it. Through his blurred vision caused by the pain, he quickly pulled out a low-grade potion he had received. He used half on the injury and drank the other half to act as a painkiller.

'Oh.'

-Crack!

He felt his twisted bone find its way back on its own, and the pain subsided in an instant. It was the moment the blessing arranged by the Tower took effect.

-Tap.

Landing back on the ground, Doyun immediately hid behind a building. The enraged Memoratrix turned the surroundings into a wasteland looking for him, but he was already far away thanks to Eira's help.

'One more time.'

Realizing it was effective, he decided to use the same method—

-Grrr-rumble. Grrr-rumble. Grrr-rumble.

'Huh?'

An ominous signal sound. The howl he had been warned to be so careful of rang out repeatedly. Doyun, stumbling, was terrified and summoned Eira's chains.

"Eira! From here...!"

"Okay!"

Anything was fine, just further away. Just as he was blindly widening the distance—

-Kuaaaaaa!!!

The attack that had twisted his left foot with just a single strike began to cover an even wider area.

'Crazy bastard!'

Doyun, who had barely escaped the attack range that felt like a natural disaster, cursed the boss mob inwardly. Was its mana infinite? Perhaps it was only possible because of a body that size. Because of its massive physique, its movement speed was slow, but it must possess stamina and mana to match.

What should he do about that? In fact, there might be a way. Attack once and run—if he repeated this, it would eventually fall. After all, the attack he had just landed had been effective. However, he hadn't yet achieved the conditions for the hidden piece. It meant the resonance hadn't reached it.

'Do I have to do it again?'

Should he provoke the VoiceVillain in the Gallery? He might need to learn some condition from there.

"...."

With that thought, Doyun looked at the weak point on the Memoratrix's head.

"...Huh?"

However, it was looking at Doyun. As if it were connected to something, it had been tracking Doyun's movements with its eyes.

"Kua! Kuaaaaa!!"

Unlike the Memoratrix, which was frantically searching for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠him, the bait knew his location with leisure. And at that moment—

The news he had been waiting for popped up in the corner of his vision.