Rise Of The SSS-Tier Flame Hero

Rock Bottom

Cain trudged through the city streets, his mind numb from the humiliation at the Awakening Ceremony. As he moved along the neon-lit sidewalks, hushed murmurs followed him.

Passersby glanced his way, some whispering behind their hands.

"That's him, right? The guy from the Awakening Ceremony?"

"Yeah... Cain Wright. I heard he got a rare low-rank E-Tier skill. Must be humiliating."

"What a joke. How can someone from the Wright family be that weak?"

Cain gritted his teeth, his fingers curling into fists. He forced himself to keep walking, ignoring the quiet laughs and pitying glances.

The ache in his nose made every breath painful, but it was nothing compared to the hollow pit in his chest.

He just wanted to get home, lock the door, shut the world out, and figure out his next move.

But as he approached his apartment, his steps slowed. Something was wrong.

The entrance door wouldn't budge.

He tried his key, but the door wouldn't open. Then he noticed the new locks, the metal glinting coldly under the flickering hallway light.

Cain's stomach twisted.

He stepped back, scanning the apartment door, his mind racing.

No way...

Then he saw it.

His belongings, stuffed into garbage bags and dumped haphazardly on the sidewalk.

The cheap furniture he had managed to buy, his clothes, even his old training manuals... all of it discarded like trash.

A single envelope sat on top of the pile.

Cain's hands shook as he tore it open.

His breath caught as he read the title.

[Eviction Notice Due to Outstanding Rent]

Outstanding rent?

His payment was only due today, and he had planned to pay it with the little money he had.

So what was this?

Cain's pulse pounded in his ears as he read the rest.

[Due to outstanding rent payments and the property's recent transfer of ownership to the buyer, Adrian Wright, your contract has been terminated. All personal belongings have been removed as per the eviction policy.]

His chest tightened.

The buyer's name stood out in bold print.

At the bottom of the letter, a final note had been scrawled in a sharp, taunting hand.

[Hope you enjoy the fresh air, loser.]

Cain's fingers crushed the paper as a sickening realization settled in.

Adrian had orchestrated this.

He wasn't just kicking Cain while he was down.

He was making sure he stayed there.

Then a text message appeared on his phone—a notification from Wright Bank.

Cain tapped the screen, and his stomach dropped.

[Account Update: Your monthly allowance has been terminated. Effective immediately.]

His fingers tightened around the phone.

Seriously? Why were things spiraling so fast?

It had barely been an hour since the Awakening Ceremony.

He had planned to use the allowance to pay rent, but that didn't matter anymore.

Now, he had no apartment, and he couldn't even find another place because he was broke.

He'd been cast out of the mansion years ago when his potential had been deemed worthless.

Now, they had stripped him of even the pathetic scraps of life he had managed to carve out for himself.

Cain's vision blurred with rage and humiliation.

The moment he turned out to be useless, they hadn't even hesitated.

Why were they so cruel?

A raindrop splattered onto the paper, the ink smudging as though the sky itself were mocking him. Then another.

The skies opened up, and within seconds, the city was drenched.

Cain stood frozen in the downpour, the ink smudging in his grip. His gaze drifted to his scattered belongings, now soaked and ruined by the rain.

He sighed.

"What am I supposed to do now?"

Where was he going to sleep?

He couldn't even afford a motel for the night.

His teeth clenched. There had to be someone—anyone—who could help.

Shivering, Cain took cover in the apartment entryway and fumbled for his phone with numb fingers.

There was only one person he could turn to.

Isaac. The only person Cain could call a friend.

They had attended the same academy together and had been quite close until Isaac's family relocated and he was forced to change academies.

At the Awakening Ceremony, Cain had spotted him and seen that he had awakened as a D-Tier Hunter.

His awakening was nothing special, but D-Tier was a rank Cain would give anything for right now, as D-Tier Hunters had enough strength to enter low-rank dungeons.

They weren't completely useless like E-Tiers.

Cain sighed as he thought about the fact that Isaac must have seen him awaken as an E-Tier.

The thought embarrassed him, and he hesitated to call and ask for help.

But he had no other option.

Summoning his courage, he dialed Isaac's number.

The phone rang. A few seconds later, Isaac answered.

"Cain...?"

"Hey, Isaac. How are you doing?"

Cain asked warmly, but Isaac responded in a harsh tone.

"What do you want?"

Cain hesitated but swallowed his pride.

"I... I need a place to stay. Just for a night. Please."

There was no response.

Cain's grip tightened around the phone. Nervous, he called out again.

"Are you still there?"

A sigh came from the other end.

"Why? I thought you rented an apartment."

"I was kicked out. Turns out Adrian bought the place."

"Then... rent a motel for the night or something."

"I would have. But my father cut off my allowance. I have nothing."

Another long silence. Then Isaac said,

"Cain... check the group chat."

Cain's stomach twisted.

His hands shook as he pulled up the chat. And he saw it.

The picture Adrian had posted of him sprawled across the restroom floor was trending everywhere.

The chat was flooded with cruel laughter and mocking comments.

[Is that the so-called "genius"? LMAO.]

[Damn, I've seen F-Ranks put up a better fight.]

[No wonder his dad walked away. Even I wouldn't claim this embarrassment.]

[Dude got folded like a wet napkin.]

[E-Rank? More like Error-Rank. Should've never been born.]

[Bro really thought he could be a Hunter.]

[If failure had a face, it'd be this screenshot right here.]

The messages kept coming, each one a fresh dagger to Cain's gut.

Cain's throat tightened. His face burned with shame.

But he couldn't understand why Isaac wanted him to see this.

His request had nothing to do with it.

So, after taking a shaky breath, he asked,

"What about it, Isaac?"

Isaac scoffed.

"You're seriously asking me that? You're an E-Tier. If I associate with you, my chances of getting into a good guild become slimmer than they already are."

Cain bit his lip, forcing down the frustration rising in his throat.

That's ridiculous.

"You know that's not true."

"I can't, Cain." Isaac's voice was quieter now. "I just... can't help you."

Cain's grip tightened around the phone. Then he heard a faint shuffle. The call was about to end. Desperation clawed at his throat, but he pushed past it and spoke.

"Wait... just twenty dollars. Enough for a room. Just for one night. Please."

A heavy silence stretched between them. Then Isaac sighed.

"Seriously? Begging for money now? How are you so shameless?"

Cain went still. It felt as though something brittle inside him had just snapped, leaving him strangely empty and painfully aware of how low he'd fallen.

Isaac's voice softened, but it only made the words sting more.

"Look... your family is just too scary, alright? I don't want trouble. I'm sorry."

The call ended.

Cain stared at the screen, the empty silence pressing down on him.

He lowered his phone and stared at the dimly lit display.

His hands shook, but not from the cold.

He had suspected it before, but now he knew for certain. Isaac had never been a real friend.

isaac had never stood by Cain in public, never defended him when people whispered behind his back or when Adrian came to beat him up.

He was only ever around when he needed something—copying homework, having theories explained to him, getting tutored before exams, or borrowing money for academy fees he never paid back.

And now that Cain was the one who needed help, Isaac had discarded him just as easily as everyone else.

Cain exhaled shakily. There was no one left.

And as if things couldn't get any worse, a group of men entered the apartment entrance, black umbrellas shielding them from the downpour.

At the front stood an older man in a sleek raincoat—Mr. Graves, the building caretaker.

His face held no sympathy.

"You need to leave now. The new owner doesn't want you anywhere near here."

"I'll leave when the rain stops," Cain said.

But Mr. Graves wasn't having it. At his signal, the men stepped forward, boots splashing through puddles as they moved to force him off the premises.

Cain frowned.

He wanted to fight. To snap. To lash out. To unleash the rage he felt on them.

But what was the point?

It wouldn't make his situation any better. It wouldn't change the fact that he was still trash.

He turned and hurried away before they reached him, ignoring Mr. Graves's shout to come back and collect his belongings before they were burned.

The rain poured harder, soaking Cain's clothes.

His hair stuck to his forehead, his breath coming in uneven gasps as he walked.

The city lights stretched before him, cold and distant.

Cars sped past without a second glance, nothing more than blurs of metal and motion.

One veered too close to the curb, and a wave of filthy rainwater splashed over him, soaking him completely and chilling him to the bone.

Cain stood there motionless, water dripping from his hair. His expression was numb.

Even the damn city was against him.

Then he felt it.

His chest burned, not just from the unhealed bruises or the betrayal, but from a fierce refusal to accept this. The world wanted him broken, wanted him helpless, wanted him forgotten.

He balled his fist.

Like hell he was going to give them what they wanted.

If the world wanted to cast him aside, then he would claw his way back, no matter what it took. Then a thought struck him.

Something he had come across long ago.

Back when he still lived in his father's mansion, Cain had used Leonard's credentials to access restricted databases meant only for high-ranking Hunters.

He had no right to be there, but no one could stop a curious teenager.

And that was when he found it. A rumor about a forbidden serum. A drug that could forcibly awaken powers in civilians.

The Guild Association had spent years hunting down its distributors, branding them an abomination. Countless reports detailed crackdowns, raids, arrests, and entire networks being wiped out. And yet, the whispers persisted.

Cain's pulse quickened.

He had linked the database to his phone back then, and he still had access to it.

With a few quick taps, he navigated through layers of classified data, his eyes scanning operation summaries and flagged incidents until something caught his attention.

A scheduled operation.

The Guild Association was preparing to carry out a raid and intercept a trade taking place today.

If he could somehow steal the serum during the chaos—or meet the distributor and negotiate terms—that would be ideal.

But even as the thought formed, Cain already knew the chances were slim to none.

There was a far greater chance of losing his life or getting caught up in something far more dangerous.

But what choice did he have?

He had nothing left. No home. No future. No place in this world.

If this serum could give him power, then even if he had to steal it, even if he had to risk everything, he would.

Because in a world that only valued strength, the only true crime was weakness.

Having made up his mind, Cain exhaled slowly, locked his phone screen, and hurried toward the raid location.