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

The First Door

Li Ming walked the quieting streets of Qingyun City as the last of the monster tide faded. Dawn light cut through the cracked sky,  bodies lay everywhere, human and monster mixed together like trash. The global system chimed once, loud in every survivor’s head.

[First Monster Tide complete.]

[Casualties on Floor 0: 1,847,392 (global).]

[New dungeons spawning in low-population zones. First beginner dungeon detected within 3 kilometers.]

[Safe zones have shrunk 30%. Next tide in 6 days.]

He didn’t stop to count the dead around him. His own body felt different now, stronger, tighter, the lizard scale fragments making his skin itch less against the new vest. Stats had settled after the reincarnation boost.

Strength: 34

Agility: 27

Vitality: 25

Intelligence: 15

Mana: 11

Luck: 10

Level: 9

The Throne had turned one stupid death into real progress. He tested Spiked Charge on a lamppost as he passed. The metal dented deep. Good.

Most survivors who lived through the night were hiding or forming scared little groups. Li Ming avoided them. He had a direction now: the school district. The system message said low-population zones. The back fields behind Qingyun High had been empty even before the Crack. Perfect place for a dungeon to pop.

He jogged the whole way, new stats eating the distance without sweat. Ten minutes later he reached the chain-link fence at the edge of the sports field. The grass was torn up from yesterday’s chaos, but nothing moved. Then he saw it.

A swirling black door hovered three meters above the ground near the goalposts. Faint red letters floated above it.

[Beginner Dungeon: Abandoned Warehouse – Level 5 Recommended]

[Capacity: 1–6 players]

[Clear reward: Basic loot chest + 800 experience per participant.]

[Reset timer: 7 days (locked until first clear).]

Li Ming stared at it. Solo. No one around. Exactly what he needed. He didn’t hesitate. He jumped, grabbed the bottom edge of the door, and pulled himself through.

He landed on concrete in a dim, sprawling warehouse that was big like three schools gym. Metal shelves lined the walls, stacked with dusty crates. Flickering overhead lights buzzed. At the far end, a heavy steel door marked the exit. Between him and it: movement.

Twelve monsters. Smaller scuttlers mixed with warehouse rats the size of dogs and a couple of slow, moving constructs that looked like animated forklifts. All level 4 to 7. Manageable.

He stayed near the entrance, fifty meters from the main cluster. The range would let him harvest if things went wrong.

First group of three scuttlers noticed him and charged. Li Ming activated Spiked Charge, met the lead one head-on, and drove his dagger through its eye. It dropped. The other two flanked. He used Basic Sprint to slip sideways, then Brutal Intimidation. The shout froze them for two seconds, long enough to kill both.

[You have killed 3x Spined Scuttler (Level 5).]

[Experience gained: 240]

[Basic Loot: 3x Minor Healing Pellets, 45 Copper Coins.]

[Throne Absorption triggered – close range.]

[Absorbed: Warehouse Rat Venom (Passive Lv.1) – Minor poison resistance.]

[Stat bonus: +1 Vitality]

He moved deeper, keeping the pace steady. No rushing. The forklift constructs were slower but hit harder. One swung a rusted arm at him. Li Ming dodged with his new agility, then used Desperate Throw, hurling a loose wrench from the floor straight into its exposed gears. It sparked and slowed. He finished it with three stabs.

[You have killed Forklift Construct (Level 7).]

[Experience gained: 310]

[Basic Loot: 1x Rusty Gear (crafting material), 80 Copper Coins.]

Absorption gave him a small Mechanical Insight passive. Useless in a fight, but he stored it anyway. Every piece fit somewhere.

Halfway through the warehouse the real fight started. A pack of six warehouse rats swarmed from behind a shelf. They were fast. One got a bite on his leg before he could react. Pain flared, but the new suppression kept it dull. He activated Adrenaline Rush. Power flooded his limbs. He spun, dagger flashing, cutting them down one by one while they squealed.

The last rat died at his feet.

[Throne Absorption triggered.]

[Absorbed: Rat Swarm Evasion (Passive Lv.1) – Slight bonus to dodging multiple small attackers.]

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

His level ticked up to 10. The door at the far end clicked open.

But the final guardian stepped out first.

A larger construct, human-shaped, made of scrap metal and rebar, level 12. It carried a broken forklift tine like a spear. Its red eyes locked on him.

Li Ming didn’t retreat. He had the stats now. He charged first, Spiked Charge slamming into its chest. Metal screeched. The guardian staggered but swung back. The tine caught his shoulder, tearing through the vest and drawing blood. Pain exploded, hot and real.

He ignored it. Pain Suppression helped. He used Brutal Intimidation to stun it, then stabbed the same spot over and over, targeting the exposed wiring he’d spotted earlier. The thing roared and grabbed his arm, crushing. Bones creaked.

Li Ming drove the dagger into its neck joint one last time.

It collapsed in a heap of scrap.

[You have cleared Beginner Dungeon: Abandoned Warehouse.]

[Level up! You are now Level 12.]

[Experience gained: 800 (clear bonus).]

[Reward Chest spawned.]

[Throne Absorption triggered – point blank.]

[Absorbed: Scrap Guardian Core (Passive Lv.2) – Moderate resistance to blunt force and minor self-repair when injured.]

[Major stat bonuses: +4 Strength, +3 Vitality]

Li Ming dropped to one knee, breathing hard. Blood ran down his arm, but the new passive was already knitting the wound slowly. He checked his updated status.

Strength: 41

Agility: 32

Vitality: 31

He felt it. He belonged in this world now instead of just surviving it.

The reward chest appeared, simple wooden box. Inside: 300 Copper Coins, one Low-Grade Iron Dagger (better balance than his current one), and a single Skill Scroll: Basic Mana Bolt (Active Lv.1) – Fire a weak energy projectile, costs 8 mana, 5-second cooldown.

He learned it immediately. A faint blue glow settled in his palm. He tested it on a crate across the room. The bolt hit with a crack, splintering wood. Not strong yet, but it gave him ranged options.

Li Ming looted the rest of the warehouse in ten minutes, more coins, a few crafting scraps, and one healing potion that restored 150 HP instantly. He stored everything in his inventory slot.

At the exit door he paused. The system message floated.

[Dungeon fully cleared by solo player.]

[Dungeon Sovereign ability now available for this instance.]

[You may reset this dungeon once per week. Monsters will respawn at +1 level. All previous loot remains yours.]

He smiled for the first time since the Crack. Infinite farming. One dungeon, reset every week, stronger each time. The Throne would drink for days.

Li Ming stepped through the exit and reappeared on the empty sports field. The black door still hovered there.

The city was waking up around him. Distant voices carried on the wind, survivors forming groups, already talking about guilds and territories. 

Li Ming wiped blood from his new dagger and started walking toward the fence.

Let them talk. Let them build their little kingdoms.

He had a dungeon that belonged to him alone.

And the next time he died, the Throne would make him even harder to kill.