I glanced at her. "Surprised you're not hanging around the Association. With your father being who he is, I figured you'd have access to all the best spots."
She scoffed. "Yeah, no thanks. The Association's full of people who either want something from me or expect me to be something I'm not. Up here, it's just me and the sky."
"Sounds nice," I said.
She smirked again. "And yet, here you are, invading my personal escape."
I chuckled. "Didn't know it was reserved."
Christa shook her head with a small laugh. "Guess I'll let it slide this time."
For a while, we just stood there, the wind cool against our skin, the city stretching endlessly below us. It was a rare moment of peace—one that neither of us seemed in a hurry to break.
Christa exhaled, her gaze still fixed on the cityscape. "By the way… have you heard?"
I glanced at her. "Heard what?"
She turned slightly, her expression shifting into something more serious. "There's an upcoming raid. A major one. It's happening in the USA—an SS-rank dungeon."
I raised an eyebrow. "SS-rank? Those don't show up often."
She nodded. "Exactly. And this one's on the verge of a dungeon break. If it's not handled immediately, we're looking at a full-blown catastrophe."
I crossed my arms, processing the information. "Who's leading the raid?"
Christa leaned against the railing. "The strongest hunters in the world are being called in. My father mentioned that the National-Level Hunters will be involved—Alexander Graves, Raiden Arakawa, Ji Seong-Ho, and Gabriel Dela Cruz. Black Valor's Leon Vael might be going too."
I let out a small hum. "A lineup like that… must mean the threat inside isn't normal."
She nodded. "That's what they're saying. The dungeon's readings are unstable—stronger than any SS-rank recorded before. Some are even speculating it might be a new classification."
I frowned slightly. "A new classification? You mean above SS-rank?"
Christa shrugged. "That's just a rumor, but if it's true, then this raid might change everything we know about dungeons."
I remained silent for a moment, considering the weight of her words. An SS-rank dungeon was already a nightmare, but something beyond that? That wasn't just dangerous—it was a potential world-ending disaster.
I looked back at her. "Are you going?"
She sighed. "I want to, but my father's against it. He says it's too risky, even for me. What about you? Does this interest you?"
I smirked slightly, keeping my answer vague. "I'll keep an eye on it."
She gave me a knowing look. "That's not really an answer, you know."
I just chuckled, my thoughts already drifting toward the possibilities this raid could bring.
Christa studied me for a moment, as if trying to read between the lines of my vague response. When I didn't elaborate, she exhaled and turned back toward the city lights.
"Figures," she muttered. "Most A-rankers would be losing their minds at the thought of an SS-rank raid, but you? You don't even flinch."
I shrugged. "Panic doesn't change anything. If it's happening, it's happening."
She let out a short laugh. "You sound like my father. Always so pragmatic."
I glanced at her. "That a bad thing?"
She shook her head. "Not really. Just means you probably see things differently than most hunters."
For a moment, silence settled between us, interrupted only by the distant sounds of the city below. It was a rare kind of quiet, one that didn't feel awkward or forced—just natural.
Then, Christa shifted slightly. "So, if you're not freaking out about the raid, does that mean you're planning to join?"
I smirked faintly. "And if I was?"
She arched an eyebrow. "Then I'd say you're either crazy or you know something I don't."
I chuckled. "Maybe a bit of both."
Christa stared at me for a beat before shaking her head with a small smile. "You're an odd one, Ryzen Kael."
I didn't respond immediately, instead letting my gaze drift across the cityscape. The tallest tower in Velmora offered a breathtaking view, one that seemed almost too peaceful compared to the chaos happening in the world of hunters.
Then, Christa spoke again, her voice quieter this time.
"Honestly… I don't think this is just another SS-rank dungeon. Something about it feels off. The way the Association's handling it, the fact that all four National-Level Hunters are being deployed… My father won't say much, but I can tell he's uneasy."
I kept my expression neutral, but internally, I was intrigued. If even Darius Vaughn—one of the most powerful figures in the Hunter Association—was concerned, then this wasn't just another high-difficulty raid.
I turned my head slightly toward her. "Do you want to go?"
She hesitated before sighing. "Yeah. But like I said, my father won't allow it."
I tilted my head. "And are you the type to listen?"
Christa let out a small chuckle. "Depends." She glanced at me. "Would you?"
I smirked. "Depends."
She laughed, shaking her head. "Alright, I walked into that one."
The conversation shifted into something more casual after that—talk of past dungeons, near-death experiences, and the general absurdity of hunter life. For someone with her background, Christa Vaughn was surprisingly down-to-earth.
As the night stretched on, the conversation between Christa and me remained surprisingly easygoing. She wasn't what I expected from the daughter of the Hunter Association's president. No arrogance, no superiority—just another hunter who had seen too much and needed a moment to breathe.
She leaned against the railing, gazing at the city lights below. "You ever think about what life would be like if we weren't hunters?"
I let out a short breath, tilting my head slightly. "Can't say I have. Not much point in wondering about something that'll never happen."
She hummed in thought. "True. But still… there are days when I wonder what it would be like to just—walk away."
I studied her for a moment. "Are you planning to?"
Christa snorted. "Not a chance. I hate the bureaucracy, but hunting is in my blood. And… I want to prove I'm more than just Vaughn's daughter."