Apex Hunter: The Strongest Solo Superhuman

The world had not always been this way.

Once, humanity stood unchallenged at the top of the food chain.

Then, the dungeons emerged.

No one knew where they came from—portals to nightmarish realms filled with grotesque monsters, each one a threat capable of wiping out entire cities.

Governments collapsed, militaries fell, and civilization teetered on the brink of destruction.

But then, humanity awakened.

The first Hunters—beings with supernatural abilities—rose to fight back.

They were humanity's last hope, warriors who risked their lives to clear dungeons and push back the tide of monsters.

Over the years, these Hunters became revered as heroes, their strength shaping the new world order.

Guilds formed, nations rebuilt themselves around the strongest Hunters, and soon, those who could awaken powers became the rulers of this era.

Among them was Leonard Wright.

A legendary S-Class Hunter.

A man whose very name could shake the battlefield.

A hero who stood at the pinnacle of humanity—one of the greatest Hunters to have ever lived.

The Apex Hunters, those who reached the absolute peak of power.

Cain Wright had spent his entire life dreaming of becoming one.

Tomorrow, at the Awakening Ceremony, his path would finally begin.

But today, the bastard son was getting awarded.

The grand auditorium of Hunter Academy filled with forced applause as the headmaster stepped onto the podium.

Even among the students, few clapped with any real enthusiasm. Some outright scoffed.

Because in their eyes, this wasn't fair.

Holograms displayed the rankings of the top students, flashing brightly for all to see.

The graduating class stood in formation, their expressions ranging from excitement to barely concealed envy.

Cain Wright stood at the center of attention, clad in the academy's black-and-gold uniform, his posture rigid as he accepted his award.

Top of the class.

Best overall student.

He should have felt proud.

But all he felt were glares.

Whispers crawled through the crowd.

"How did he even get that spot?"

"Right? His potential is garbage."

"No matter how well he does in training, it won't matter if his Awakening is trash."

Cain kept his face expressionless.

He had heard it all before.

His potential—the genetic cap that determined how powerful one could be once awakened—had been tested when he was six years old.

The process was simple: a device scanned a child's core energy, measuring how much power their body could handle.

The results were categorized into ranks, from Elite to High-tier, to Mid-tier, to Low-tier, to Inferior, to Dud.

Duds had no energy, no power—nothing.

They weren't even allowed into Hunter academies.

Their fate was sealed the moment the scanner declared them powerless.

Cain's rank? Inferior.

Low-tier was already a struggle—barely a chance at anything above a D-Rank.

But Inferior? Most never awakened at all.

Yet here he was, the best in academics, tactics, dungeon simulations, and strategy.

A flawless record.

None of it changed his reality.

Across the stage, glaring at him with barely concealed rage, stood Adrian Wright.

The golden son.

Cain's stepbrother.

The one everyone expected to be on the podium receiving the award.

Unlike Cain, Adrian wasn't a bastard.

Adrian clenched his fists as he watched Cain Wright—the bastard—receive the highest honor.

It should have been him.

His mother, Selena Wright, wasn't just any Hunter—she was one of the world's strongest healers.

A woman of power, prestige, and status, married to none other than Leonard Wright, the legendary S-Class Hunter.

And together, they had given birth to a monster.

Adrian was the best combatant in the academy, breaking every record left by past graduates.

His potential was Elite, and his Awakening was the most anticipated among the rest of the students.

He was the strongest fighter in the academy.

Ranked first in physical ability, swordsmanship, and mana control. No one could match him in direct battle.

Yet, despite all of that, Cain—the pathetic weakling with the lowest potential rating—was the one standing in the spotlight.

It infuriated him.

A bastard with no talent had no right to stand beside him, let alone take what was rightfully his.

Yet none of it mattered because Cain had beaten him in every other category.

Academics? Cain ranked first.

His tactical analysis, dungeon theory, and leadership scores were unmatched.

Mana efficiency? Cain surpassed him.

Despite his low potential, he wielded what little mana he had with absolute precision, making every drop count.

Strategy and adaptability? Cain excelled.

In simulations and mock dungeon raids, he consistently outmaneuvered stronger opponents, turning impossible scenarios into victories.

Guild management? Cain led the best-performing team.

While Adrian dominated in raw combat, Cain had the mind of a leader, able to command and coordinate with surgical precision.

And because grades, strategic ability, and leadership were also factored into the Best Graduating Student award, Cain had won.

And that was what made this unbearable for Adrian and everyone else.

It was insulting.

And Adrian's ego refused to accept it.

"How the hell does someone with Inferior Potential outrank me?" Adrian muttered under his breath.

His lackey beside him scoffed.

"Yeah, it's insane. That bastard shouldn't even be here."

Adrian barely heard him.

His blood boiled as he watched Cain step down from the podium.

Tomorrow, Cain's illusion of superiority would crumble.

Tomorrow, Adrian would permanently put him in his place.

But today, he was going to do what he always did.

The ceremony came to an end, and the students poured out of the auditorium, their voices buzzing with excitement.

Conversations overlapped as they took wild guesses about tomorrow—the Awakening Ceremony.

The Awakening Ceremony was the defining moment of every Hunter's life.

It was the day when young aspirants, after years of training at the academy, would finally step onto the Awakening Platform and unlock their abilities—the supernatural gifts that determined their future.

Each ability was ranked from F-Tier to S-Tier, with the rarest awakenings propelling individuals to heights of power that could shape nations.

But Cain, instead of leaving, slipped into a restroom to catch his breath.

Cain turned on the faucet, letting the ice-cold water splash against his face.

His heart was pounding.

His nerves were on edge, anticipation and frustration mixing inside him.

Tomorrow was the Awakening Ceremony.

The day he would finally prove himself.

And it was nerve-wracking, especially with this title bestowed upon him.

The title—Best Graduating Student—felt heavier than the medal around his neck.

If he flopped tomorrow, he would be an embarrassment to the school and his father.

The restroom door swung open.

He glanced at the mirror.

Adrian.

Cain exhaled sharply, already bracing for whatever bullshit his stepbrother had planned.

"Of course. Right on time."

Adrian showing up to mess with him was nothing new.

And now, just after the graduation ceremony—when Cain had stolen the spotlight—of course, Adrian would come looking for him.

Adrian leaned against the sink beside him, arms crossed, his ever-present smirk tugging at his lips.

He wasn't alone.

Two of his lackeys stood by the door, blocking the exit.

"You're looking awfully confident on the podium today, Cain," Adrian mused. "Didn't you think of how your poor brother would feel?"

Cain wiped his face dry, not bothering to look at him. "If you're here to talk crap, don't bother. I've heard it all before."

Adrian chuckled, shaking his head with a smug grin.

"Oh, this isn't the usual. This is something special."

He casually cracked his knuckles, his golden eyes gleaming with amusement.

"I'm just here to remind you that tomorrow, you stop mattering.

That whole 'top student' nonsense? Wiped out. You'll awaken something pathetic, and for the rest of your life, you'll be known as the weakling who thought he was special."

"Oh..." Cain met his gaze, calm and unimpressed. "You're awfully obsessed with me for someone who claims I don't matter."

Adrian's smirk twitched—then he moved.

Faster than Cain could react.

A fist smashed into his gut, stealing the air from his lungs.

Cain doubled over, gasping, but Adrian didn't let up.

A sharp knee to the ribs.

A hook to the jaw.

Pain exploded across Cain's face as he hit the ground, his skull bouncing against the cold tile.

His vision blurred, the world spinning.

Laughter echoed in the restroom.

"Record this," Adrian said, his voice dripping with amusement.

One of his lackeys pulled out a phone, aiming it at Cain. The red recording light blinked mockingly.

Cain gritted his teeth, forcing himself to push up on shaky arms.

A foot slammed down on his back, grinding him into the floor.

"You don't get it, do you?" Adrian sneered. "You were never my rival. You were just a placeholder until I took what was mine."

Cain growled, rage boiling inside him.

He had tried to fight back before. Many times.

But Adrian wasn't the top combatant in the academy for nothing.

Brutally trained, naturally gifted, and fueled by an obsessive need to dominate, he was a monster in a fight.

Every time Cain resisted, Adrian made sure to beat him down even harder.

So Cain endured.

He gritted his teeth, swallowed his rage, and waited.

But right now, his pride screamed louder.

He tried to push up again, but Adrian grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked him up—just to slam his face into the sink.

White-hot pain exploded through Cain's skull.

Blood trickled down his nose.

His legs buckled.

The laughter grew louder.

"Pathetic." Adrian let go, letting Cain crumple onto the floor like garbage.

Cain gasped for breath, his vision swimming.

His fingers curled into fists against the tile.

Adrian crouched beside him, gripping his chin and forcing him to look up.

"Burn this feeling into your soul, Cain. The helplessness. The humiliation. The pathetic feeling. Because tomorrow, when you awaken a worthless rank, you'll realize—this is all you'll ever be."

He let go with a disgusted scoff, wiping his hand on his uniform as if Cain's very existence tainted him.

Adrian straightened and gestured toward his lackeys. "Make sure this gets sent around. Let's give everyone a little preview of the loser Cain Wright truly is."

The recording light blinked off.

Adrian just smirked and walked out, his lackeys following, their chuckles still lingering in the air.

Cain's bloodied face burned with humiliation.

He lay there for a few seconds before he forced himself up, his limbs trembling.

Cain stood for a long moment, fists clenched, staring at his own reflection in the cracked mirror.

His own reflection stared back at him, eyes burning with hate.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow, everything would change. It had to.

He prayed. Hoped.

They would all lower their heads. Every last one of them.