Retired S-rank father becomes a teacher

There was no system to reveal the ranks of people, to reveal the ranks of dungeons. These were man-made constructs to categorize the new world. At the beginning of the awakening everything was dangerous, every beast that came out was an unknown element; only after killing them were ranks given based on the threat level they posed and the strength required to fight them.

F-rank monsters were weak enough for non-magic users to deal with. E-rank ones required E-rank mana users at least. So on and so forth. The way humans improved their ranks was through mana tempering and consumption. Cores from beasts or even mana crystals were used to strengthen people’s bodies.

So Victoria stood in the family gym, staring at a pile of D-ranked mana crystals. They glowed brightly on the table next to a juicer with a note that said, ‘Love, dad’.

Her heart warmed up at that. She could almost feel the gentle pat on her head he would’ve given her before disappearing again. Her papa was such a lovable dork.

A smile graced her face.

Grabbing a crystal, she walked to the middle of the gym, the mirrors in the ceiling of the gym gave her a perfect view of herself.

The gym was big, filled with all the equipment a hunter could dream.

With a deep breath, Vic started with stretching her arms and legs, loosening the tightness and the kinks. Then she sat down cross-legged in a meditative stance, the crystal in front of her. Closing her eyes, she focused on her mana flow within her body, tracing the familiar paths of her core and veins.

“Calm, peaceful...boring,” she murmured as she stiffled the smile that formed. Her dad’s mantra.

Slowly mana from the crystal started to seep out and she pulled it into herself, the cool, foreign energy flowing inside her, mixing with her own mana. This was a process she had done a dozen of times. First it had been uncomfortable, but now it felt natural to do this.

A sharp pain shot through her chest, making her gasp. An imminent rank up.

Taking a shaky breath, she focused on guiding the mana towards her core and expanding it. It hurt like hell but the feeling that came after would be worth it. Finally D-rank! Soon enough, she would catch up to her dad.

Five minutes in she couldn’t take the pain anymore and opened her eyes, panting as sweat dripped down her face. She looked down to see the crystal in pieces. She failed. Again.

Groaning, she fell back and covered her face with her hands.

This was the tenth try in three days. Her papa told her to take her time and not to rush but that was easy for him. A knock sounded on the door.

“Victoria, honey, you in there?” It was her mom, Liz.

Victoria sat up and wiped her face. “Yeah I am.”

The door opened and her mother came in with a glass of water, the smell of cookies and her gentle aura filling the room. She smiled at her daughter, her green eyes sparkling.

“How is the rank up going sweetie? Do you need my help?” Liz sat down next to her and brushed some hair from Victoria’s face.

Her mom was sweet, caring yet Victoria always felt a wall of distance between them. It was like her mom was holding back. Whether it was emotions, strength, or something else, she couldn’t tell but it didn’t bother her too much. The love between them was real, that no one could prove otherwise.

Grabbing the glass, she drank some water before replying.

“It’s going okay, just... the mana doesn’t want to settle in my core.”

Nodding in understanding, her mother rubbed her back in slow circles as the scent of ozone from Victoria’s failed attempt at mana tempering clung to the air.

“Sometimes it takes a while dear. Don’t force it, or you might hurt yourself, besides you are already far ahead of most students your age.”

A sigh escaped her lips.

“Dad was S-rank at my age and you were A-rank. I want to be strong like you guys, mom,” Victoria mumbled.

Her mother sighed too. She hugged her, bringing Victoria’s face into her breast and said, “That’s because we had to be strong to survive. You have your father watching over you and protecting you so you don’t need to worry about such things. Just be you and follow your own pace.”

Vic nodded, the hug helped her calm down a bit. Her mother was right. Her dad was always watching over them, even if they didn’t always know it. But lately his attention was scattered. He had been more tense, more alert. What changed?

She decided to ask.

“Mom... do you know why papa seems...distracted?” She pulled back from the hug and looked at her mother in the eyes.

Elizabeth gave a thoughtful expression, a finger on her chin, reflecting on the ceiling. She looked pretty when she was thinking. Victoria thought her mom was the most beautiful woman on Earth and her stomach twisted with a hint of jealousy.

“Yes...I do.” Liz admitted.

Her eyes widened: that was new. Normally she would say something about trusting dad or giving him time.

“Will you tell me?” she asked with hopeful eyes. Maybe if she knew what was bothering him then she could help him.

“Nope.”

The immediate shut down killed her enthusiasm. Her mom was such a buzzkill sometimes and that smile on her face made it worse.

“Please mom, I’m his daughter so I have a right to know what’s going on with my papa,” she protested.

A slender finger was pressed on her lips, silencing her. She hated it when her mom treated her like a little kid who didn’t understand the world. A rival looking down on her like this wasn’t right.

Elizabeth shook her head. “When you are strong enough to handle it, I’ll tell you until then let it be your father’s burden, okay?” She kissed her on the forehead, making her huff in defeat.

What is she supposed to say to that? Fight her? The mom won that round, for now.

They chatted for some time, before Victoria returned to her mana tempering, this time under her mother’s supervision and this time, it was a success. Surprisingly the rank up was faster with her mom around, almost like she was pushing Vic’s mana in the right direction.

“Mom why aren’t you an S-ranker?” The question slipped out without thinking.

Naturally Vic did research on her mom, on her time in the dungeon where she was the defacto healer for her papa. When Silas became an S-ranker, Elizabeth was still A and she continued to stay that way until his retirement. Which made no sense since they fought together. She should’ve gotten stronger with him.

Elizabeth smiled at her daughter, her eyes softening at the question.

“Healing magic is different than other mana types. It’s not just bigger mana, bigger fireball or sword or whatever. What do you think an S-rank healer could do?”

Victoria thought for a moment. She imagined healing someone instantly from a near-fatal state. Then she imagined resurrecting the dead.

“Bringing people back from the dead,” she answered, feeling a chill run down her spine. If that was possible... then no one had to die.

“But that’s death magic, the most forbidden type of magic. Isn’t it?” Elizabeth winked at her as if she said a silly joke, then continued, “There isn’t a clear path to becoming an S-rank as a healer. Sure I can heal fatal wounds but in S-rank dungeons most wounds are not fatal.”

“What?” she frowned. That didn’t make any sense to her.

Her mom put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently.

“Sweetie, they die instantly. Their entire existence just wiped out.” Elizabeth’s gaze drifted to the window where the morning light cast long shadows across the gym floor. “I can’t heal nothingness. So what’s the point of trying to get a rank that wouldn’t change anything?”

The idea that the third ranked magic was useless in high-level dungeons shocked Victoria. But it was also oddly... comforting. It meant that her dad was even stronger than she imagined.

“So papa really was the strongest hunter.” It was a statement, not a question.

Elizabeth nodded. A prideful look on her face. She always loved bragging about Silas.

“Yes, your father has always been in a class of his own.”

“What about Berlin? Can he beat dad?” Victoria asked out of curiosity.

Her expression shifted to something more serious, more guarded.

“Berlin and your dad are friends, not enemies. There is no need to compare them.” A quick reply and change of subject. “Anyway, congratulations on ranking up dear. We should go celebrate with Katherine, maybe go shopping or have lunch as a family.”

That was an abrupt end to the conversation but Vic didn’t push it. She’d do her own research first and ask her dad later.