REBORN IN THE DEATH GAME: I STEAL POWER FROM THE DEAD

First Reaping

Li Ming slipped between two wrecked cars, with his dagger low at his side. The second wave of the tide was worse. Bigger wolves howled through the commercial street, and a few spiked lizards the size of motorcycles had joined them. Survivors were down to maybe fifteen now, scattered and desperate. The four loudmouths’ group was gone, only their leader’s fresh corpse still fed the Throne.

He stayed on the edges, always moving, always inside fifty meters of the heaviest fighting. Adrenaline Rush was on cooldown, but the new stats made his steps lighter, his swings harder.

A wolf pack of three tore into a small family barricaded behind a flipped truck. Li Ming circled wide, staying forty meters back. The parents went down first. Then the kid.

[Throne Absorption triggered.]

[Absorbed: Family Bond Fragment (Passive Lv.1) – Minor boost to protecting nearby allies (irrelevant for now).]

[Absorbed: Desperate Throw (Active Lv.1) – Accurate projectile toss once per minute.]

[Stat bonuses: +1 Agility, +1 Luck]

He tested the skills. The throw could be useful later. Two more wolves noticed him and broke off from the pack, charging straight at his position.

Li Ming didn’t panic. He activated Sprint, blurred ten meters sideways, and used the new Desperate Throw, hurling a loose chunk of concrete from the sidewalk. It cracked one wolf’s snout and staggered it. The second wolf lunged. Li Ming met it with the dagger, driving the blade up under its jaw. Hot blood sprayed his arm.

[You have killed a Shadow Wolf (Level 8).]

[Experience gained: 180]

[Basic Loot: 1x Minor Mana Pellet, 22 Copper Coins.]

[Throne Absorption triggered – close range.]

[Absorbed: Wolf Pack Coordination (Passive Lv.1) – Slight increase in group awareness.]

[Stat bonus: +2 Strength]

His muscles tightened with the new power. Strength now sat at 24. He was starting to hit like someone who belonged in this fight.

But the tide wasn’t done.

A spiked lizard crashed through the storefront across the street, roaring. Three survivors tried to run. The lizard caught them in seconds. Li Ming edged closer, twenty-five meters now, harvesting the deaths as they fell.

[Throne Absorption triggered.]

[Absorbed: Basic Dodge Roll (Passive Lv.1)]

[Absorbed: Pain Suppression (Passive Lv.1) – Further reduces felt pain in combat.]

[Stat bonuses: +1 Vitality, +1 Agility]

Good. The suppression would make dying less distracting next time.

The lizard turned toward him, sensing fresh prey. It was level 11. Too strong to fight straight up. Li Ming backed away fast, using the cars for cover. But the street was narrowing here, and another pack of wolves had cut off his retreat route.

He was boxed in.

Li Ming cursed under his breath. Mistake. He’d gotten greedy chasing the deaths. The lizard charged. He sprinted sideways, but the wolves closed the gap. Claws raked his back. Pain spread hot despite the suppression. He stabbed blindly, killing one wolf, but the lizard slammed into him like a truck.

His bones cracked, the world was as if it was spinning in his eyes. He hit the pavement hard, dagger flying from his hand.

[You have been fatally wounded.]

[HP: 0/280]

Darkness took him again.

Then...

Li Ming gasped awake behind the fountain in the quiet park. The anchor glowed softly under his feet for a second before fading.

[Reincarnation complete.]

[Permanent stat multiplier applied: +18% from this death (cumulative with previous).]

[Bonus integration: One random high-quality skill from nearby deaths during last life.]

[Absorbed: Lizard Scale Armor Fragment (Passive Lv.2) – Moderate piercing and blunt resistance.]

He sat up fast, breathing hard. The pain from dying was still echoing in his nerves, but it faded quicker this time. He checked his status.

Strength: 24 → 28 (after multiplier)

Agility: 22 → 26

Vitality: 18 → 21

Intelligence: 15

Mana: 10

Luck: 9

New Skills added:

•  Lizard Scale Armor Fragment (Passive Lv.2)

The Throne had paid out. One death, and he was noticeably stronger. His body felt denser, faster. The new passive made his skin feel tougher under his torn uniform. He stood and rolled his shoulders. The park was still empty. Safe for now.

Li Ming smiled coldly. “Worth it.”

He checked the global timer. The tide still had hours left, waves would keep coming until dawn broke fully. He had time to go back and collect what he’d earned.

He moved faster now, the boosted stats letting him jog without tiring. Ten minutes later he reached the commercial street again. The spiked lizard was still there, feeding on fresh corpses. The wolves had moved on.

Li Ming stayed at the edge of fifty meters and watched. Three new bodies lay near the lizard. He waited until it wandered a few steps away, then closed in quietly.

The absorptions hit clean.

[Throne Absorption triggered.]

[Absorbed: Spiked Charge (Active Lv.1) – Short forward rush with piercing damage.]

[Absorbed: Predator’s Patience (Passive Lv.1) – Better at waiting for the right moment to strike.]

[Stat bonuses: +2 Strength, +1 Vitality]

He tested Spiked Charge on a nearby abandoned car. His shoulder hit like a battering ram, denting the door inward. Nice.

The lizard finally noticed him. It roared and charged.

This time Li Ming didn’t run. He activated Spiked Charge to meet it head-on, dagger leading. The impact jarred his bones, but the new scale armor absorbed most of it. He stabbed twice, fast and deep. The lizard staggered. He used Brutal Intimidation to stun it for two seconds, then finished the job with a third strike.

[You have killed a Spiked Lizard (Level 11).]

[Experience gained: 340]

[Basic Loot: 1x Low-Grade Scale Vest, 68 Copper Coins, 1x Minor Strength Pellet.]

[Throne Absorption triggered – point blank.]

[Absorbed: Lizard Hide Toughness (Passive Lv.2)]

[Stat bonuses: +3 Strength, +2 Vitality]

Li Ming looted the vest and pulled it on over his uniform. It fit well enough. His stats were climbing fast now.

Strength: 33

Agility: 26

Vitality: 24

He was no longer the weakest thing on the street.

The tide’s third wave was starting, bigger roars in the distance. More survivors had fled or died. Li Ming moved deeper into the chaos, no longer just watching from the edges. He picked fights he could win, stayed close to the dying, and let the Throne drink.

By the time the sky began to lighten, he had killed six more monsters himself and harvested another dozen deaths. His level had jumped to 9 from the experience alone. Skills were stacking nicely. The pain of that first reincarnation still in his mind.

Dying hurt.

But coming back stronger? That was everything.

Li Ming wiped blood from his dagger and looked toward the school district. The first dungeon should have spawned somewhere near there by now. 

He started walking.