I Die to Become Stronger

DYING IS EASIER THAN LIVING

Kai couldn’t breathe properly. Not because of the smoke or the heat, but because his mind wouldn’t stop racing. Mira’s hand was still on his shoulder, shaking slightly. Her eyes were wide, full of fear and confusion.

“You… you’re alive?” she whispered. Her voice cracked.

Kai swallowed. He didn’t answer. How could he explain? Not even he fully understood what had happened. His chest still ached from the first death. The pain had been replaced with… emptiness, a strange clarity. He could feel the monster’s weight in his fists, the air around him, even the hum of power coursing through his body.

“I… I saw it. Kai, you were… killed!” Mira said again, her voice louder now, panic creeping in. “I watched you fall, your body… nothing. And then” She broke off, tears forming.

Kai looked at her. “I’m fine,” he said flatly. But inside, a shiver ran down his spine. Was he really fine? He didn’t feel the relief he expected. He only felt… stronger.

Mira’s grip tightened. “You… you weren’t supposed to survive that. Nobody survives that!”

“I… guess I did,” Kai said quietly.

She stared at him for a long moment, then looked away. Her voice dropped, almost to herself. “This… this isn’t normal. Something’s wrong, Kai.”

He nodded. “I know.”

Kai had no time to dwell. Around them, the city screamed. Monsters were everywhere. Smoke filled the air, people were screaming, running, and dying. Every second counted.

He grabbed Mira’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “We have to move. Now.”

They ran down the broken street. Concrete cracked underfoot, cars overturned, and fire consumed what was left of nearby shops. People screamed and fled in all directions, but Kai noticed something strange: they were slower than before. Not physically, they were just… hesitant. Afraid. Stumbling.

The monsters didn’t hesitate. They tore through anything in their path.

Kai glanced at Mira. She was struggling to keep up, her small frame shaking with every step. Her breath was ragged. She wasn’t weak because she lacked courage she was weak because her body wasn’t made for survival yet. But he admired her anyway. She didn’t cry or collapse; she kept moving, even when panic clawed at her chest.

“You have to trust me,” Kai said, not looking back. “Don’t stop.”

Mira nodded, biting her lip. “I… I trust you.”

A low, grinding roar echoed from the street ahead. Kai froze. Mira looked up at him, eyes wide.

He turned his head slowly. Through the smoke and fire, he saw it: a second monster. Bigger than the first. Its body was twisted, blackened, with glowing red veins pulsing along its skin. Its eyes were a deep, burning orange.

Kai’s chest tightened. He could feel his heart thumping not fear, not panic but the adrenaline of instinct.

“This one…” he muttered, “this one’s different.”

The monster charged. Fast. Too fast for a normal human to react.

Kai’s first thought: I die if I fight it.

His second thought: I might survive.

Before he could decide, Mira screamed. The monster’s claw smashed the wall next to them. Dust and debris filled the air. Kai lunged, throwing Mira behind him again.

The creature’s claw hit Kai squarely in the chest. Pain exploded. He felt his ribs crack. His vision blurred. The world tilted.

And then darkness.

When Kai opened his eyes this time, it was different. He wasn’t in the burning street anymore. He was… standing. Alive. Whole. The monster was gone.

Above him, faint letters appeared in his vision:

Death Count: 2

Permanent Ability Unlocked: Enhanced Reflexes (Moderate)

Kai clenched his fists, feeling the new power coursing through him. Faster, stronger, sharper. He tested it instinctively dodging falling debris, spinning to avoid a burning car.

Mira ran to him, panic in her eyes. “Kai… again? You died again?”

Kai nodded silently.

Her face twisted. “How… how are you…? Why…?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “Something… something gives me power when I die.”

Mira’s hands flew to her mouth. “You… that’s… that’s impossible.”

“It’s happening,” Kai said simply.

They moved again, silently this time, through the ruined streets. Survivors screamed and ran past them. Kai noticed how many people were frozen in indecision. Most of them had seen someone die. Most of them had given up.

“They’ll die if they stop,” he said to Mira. “We have to keep moving.”

Mira nodded, eyes wide, still trembling.

“Why… why are you so calm?” she asked, her voice small.

Kai thought about the first monster, the second one, the pain, the fear… and how it all meant nothing after he revived.

“Because dying… isn’t the worst thing anymore,” he said quietly.

Hours passed. The sun began to set, but the city was already dark from smoke and fires. Every step brought them closer to the edge of what was left of the city. Every shadow hid monsters. Every scream reminded them they were alive for a reason or maybe for no reason at all.

Kai kept an eye on Mira. She was quiet now, watching him. He noticed the way she flinched whenever he moved too fast, the way her gaze lingered on him like she was trying to read something he couldn’t see.

“They’re… following us,” she said suddenly, pointing to a small alley.

Kai squinted. Two figures emerged from the shadows not monsters, but humans. Armed. Aggressive.

“They’re survivors,” he said, “but they’ll try to take what we have.”

Mira gasped. “What… what do you mean?”

Kai’s jaw tightened. “They’ll kill us if we resist. Or take us somewhere worse. People aren’t safe anymore not even from themselves.”

The humans lunged.

Kai moved without thinking. Enhanced reflexes, enhanced strength they flowed through him naturally. He struck first. The men crumpled under his fists before Mira could scream.

One groaned and tried to crawl away. Kai grabbed him by the collar. “Don’t move. Or you die.”

Mira stared, horrified but also amazed.

Kai let the man go after a warning. “Tell everyone. Don’t come near me again.”

Mira touched his arm. “You’re… scary.”

Kai shook his head. “No. Not scary. Strong. I just… can’t stop dying.”

As night fell, Kai and Mira found temporary shelter in a half-collapsed building. Kai sat on the floor, silently watching Mira arrange what little they had.

Then the System spoke again:

Warning: Excessive death detected. Emotional resistance decreasing.

Kai froze. He had felt the numbness creeping in before. Now, it was confirmed.

Mira noticed his pause. “Kai… what’s happening to you?”

“I don’t know,” he said softly. “But… every time I die… I feel less… me.”

Mira didn’t say anything. She just moved closer. Put her hand on his shoulder.

The System’s voice continued:

Suggestion: Human attachments slow evolution.

Kai’s chest tightened. Mira was his anchor… but the System didn’t like anchors.

He looked at her, then whispered, almost to himself: “I can’t lose you… or I’ll be… something else.”

Mira looked back at him, eyes full of worry, but also something else faith, trust, hope.

Kai knew the next few days wouldn’t just be about survival. They would be about staying human, about keeping what little soul he had left.

And that thought was scarier than any monster