2026-04-09 04:40:10Li Ming slouched in the back row of Class 3-2, chin propped on his hand, staring at the math problems on the board. Another ordinary Tuesday in Qingyun City.
His phone buzzed once under the desk. A message from his mom: Come home early. There’s talk of weird weather.
He ignored it. Weird weather in Qingyun was usually just smog or sudden rain.
Then the lights started shaking.
Not just the classroom's lights, everything. The sky outside the window flashed a deep, unnatural blue, as if someone had torn open the ceiling of the world. Students murmured. Phones lit up with notifications.
Li Ming sat up straighter. A massive transparent panel appeared in the air, visible to everyone at once.
[Welcome, inhabitants of Floor 0.]
[The Eternal Death Game has begun.]
[Survive. Grow stronger. Ascend the floors.]
[First Monster Tide begins in 23 hours, 59 minutes.]
Screams erupted outside. Cars slammed into each other on the street below. Li Ming’s heart hammered as he bolted for the window. The sky wasn’t blue anymore, it was cracked, jagged lines of white light spreading like breaking glass. Black shapes poured through the fissures. Things with too many legs and glowing eyes.
“Run!” someone yelled.
The classroom exploded into panic. Desks flipped. Li Ming shoved through the crowd toward the door, mind racing. This wasn’t a prank. This felt exactly like those web novels he’d stayed awake late at night reading, system, apocalypse, survival. Except he wasn’t the protagonist in any of them. He was just Li Ming, average grades, no special talents, parents who worked long hours at the textile factory.
He made it to the stairwell before the first monster hit the school grounds. A dog-sized creature with razor spines scuttled across the courtyard, leaping onto a screaming girl. Blood sprayed.
Li Ming didn’t stop. He kept running down the stairs, then out the side exit, into the alley behind the school. His legs burned. Shouts and wet tearing sounds chased him.
He turned a corner and slammed straight into another one.
The thing was fast. Claws raked across his chest before he could even raise his arms. Pain exploded, hot and blinding. He hit the ground hard, gasping as blood soaked his uniform.
[You have been fatally wounded.]
[HP: 0/120]
Darkness swallowed him.
Then…
Li Ming gasped awake, jerking upright in the same alley. The pain was gone. His shirt was whole, no blood, but his hands shook.
What the hell?
A new blue panel hovered in front of his eyes, different from the global one. This one was more private and personal.
[Reincarnator detected.]
[Memories intact.]
[Exclusive System awakened: Reincarnator’s Throne.]
[Throne Absorption (Lv.1): Absorb skills, stat bonuses, titles, and memory fragments from deceased players/NPCs within 50 meters.]
[Reincarnation Passive: Upon death, respawn at nearest Throne Anchor with permanent stat multiplier (+15% this death) and bonus integration.]
[Dungeon Sovereign (Locked): Reset cleared dungeons once per week.]
[Current Throne Anchors: 0 — Create your first at a secure location.]
Li Ming stared, breath coming fast. He remembered dying, the claws, the blood, the wet crunch. It hurt like nothing else.
But he was back. And this system… it was only for him.
He pushed to his feet, legs steady now. Notifications kept coming.
[Global Announcement: Safe zones shrinking in 72 hours.]
[First deaths recorded worldwide.]
Li Ming clenched his fists. If this was real, and it felt real, then millions were about to die screaming while the strong stepped on the weak. Guilds would form. Cheaters with early info would rig everything.
He wasn’t going to be fodder again.
A scream echoed from the school direction. More monsters. The first tide hadn’t even started yet, and the city was already falling apart.
Li Ming moved deeper into the alley, away from the noise. He needed to test this, quietly, smartly.
No rushing in like an idiot hero.
He found a cracked mirror leaning against a dumpster and checked his reflection. Same messy black hair, same ordinary face. But his eyes looked different now, it looked sharper, colder.
“Alright,” he muttered. “Let’s see what this Throne can actually do.”
A distant roar shook the air. Something bigger was coming.
Li Ming smiled thinly. In his last life, all fifteen minutes of it, he’d died like a nobody.
This time, every death would make him stronger.
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Latest Chapter
Through the Gate
The Central Plaza was a battlefield of shifting alliances and desperate screams. Factions clashed over control of the Ascension Gate while scattered monsters from the lingering tide still prowled the edges. Li Ming crouched behind an overturned bus, supporting his father with one arm while his mother pressed close on the other side.“We’re too exposed here,” Li Ming muttered, eyes scanning the chaos. “The Gate is two hundred meters ahead, but three factions are fighting over it right now.”His father grimaced, trying to stand straighter despite the pain. “Then we wait for an opening, son. You’ve kept us alive this far.”His mother touched Li Ming’s bloodstained sleeve. “Ming’er… you’re hurt too. That penalty you mentioned — is it making things worse?”Li Ming shook his head. “It’s manageable. Just stay behind me and run when I say. No hesitation.”A massive explosion rocked the plaza as two rival guilds collided near the Gate. Li Ming saw his chance.“Now!”He surged forward, half-car
Descent
The Ascension Gate spat Li Ming out onto the blood-soaked ruins of Qingyun City’s Central Plaza like an unwanted memory. The moment his feet touched Floor 0 ground, the penalties slammed into him like a physical blow.His body felt heavier. Slower. Weaker.[Floor Descent Penalty Active: All Stats -15% for 72 hours. Throne absorption quality -60%. Cross-floor range further restricted.]Li Ming staggered for half a second, then forced himself upright. The familiar cracked blue sky overhead looked almost comforting after the oppressive crimson of Floor 1. But there was no time for nostalgia.He moved.The plaza was still a graveyard of the Second Tide. Piles of monster corpses rotted under the sun while survivors picked through the remains. Li Ming kept the Shadow Veil Cloak active and his head low, slipping through the chaos like a ghost. Even with the penalties, his base power was still far above most Floor 0 survivors.He headed straight for the residential block, heart pounding harde
Echoes from Below
Zhao Feng winced as he leaned against the rocky outcrop, clutching the fresh bandage Li Ming had tied around his torso. The crimson sun hung low, casting long bloody shadows across the wastes. They had been moving for hours, putting as much distance as possible between themselves and the collapsed cave.“You should have left me,” Zhao Feng muttered, voice rough with pain. “I was dead weight back there.”Li Ming scanned the horizon before answering. “Dead weight doesn’t complain this much. Save your strength. We still have a long way before we can rest.”A weak chuckle escaped Zhao Feng. “You know… when you first saved us, I thought you were just another strong loner looking for cannon fodder. But you pulled me out. Twice now.” He paused, studying Li Ming’s face. “Why do you fight like this? Most people with your power would’ve built a big group by now. Ruled something.”Li Ming remained silent for a long moment, eyes distant. “Big groups attract attention. Attention brings betrayal. I
Fractured Alliances
Zhao Feng slammed his axe into the ground, still buzzing from the latest ambush. “Did you see their faces when the wolves hit? Lin Mei looked like she wanted to kill her own men!”The group had gathered in their newest temporary shelter — a shallow cave system hidden behind a collapsed tower. A small crystal lantern cast flickering red light across their faces. Su Ling was bandaging a cut on one man’s arm while the others counted loot.Li Ming leaned against the far wall, arms crossed, listening.“We’re actually doing it,” said a wiry man named Guo Wei, grinning as he weighed a pouch of Floor Coins. “Three supply convoys in five days. They must be bleeding resources by now.”“Keep your voice down,” Su Ling warned. “We got lucky today. If that wolf pack hadn’t shown up—”“Lucky?” Zhao Feng laughed. “That was the boss’s timing. He always knows when to strike.”All eyes turned toward Li Ming. He met their gazes steadily but said nothing at first. The praise felt hollow. Praise often prec
Hunter and Hunted
Li Ming moved through the narrow crimson ravine like a wraith, his Shadow Veil Cloak making him nearly indistinguishable from the jagged rock walls. Three days had passed since Captain Lin Mei began her personal hunt. The Scarlet Vanguard had increased patrol frequency and started offering bounties for any information on the “Crimson Shadow” and his small band. His group of six had become surprisingly effective. They struck fast, looted efficiently, and vanished before major reinforcements arrived. Li Ming’s leadership — cold, precise, and always one step ahead — had raised their average levels and given them renewed purpose. But the pressure was mounting. “Boss,” Zhao Feng whispered from behind a boulder as they observed a Vanguard supply route. “They’ve reinforced this convoy. At least forty guards. Lin Mei might be with them.” Li Ming studied the formation below. The carts were heavier, protected by shield-bearers and crystal mages. Captain Lin Mei was indeed present, her silver
Slow Bleed
Li Ming crouched on a narrow ledge overlooking a winding ravine, Shadow Veil Cloak rendering him nearly invisible against the crimson rock. Below, a Scarlet Vanguard supply patrol of eighteen soldiers moved in tight formation, escorting three heavily loaded crystal carts. His six followers were positioned according to his instructions — Zhao Feng and two others on the far side, Su Ling and the rest ready with ranged support. “Patience,” Li Ming whispered, though none could hear him. “Wait for my signal.” This was their third ambush in two days. The strategy was working. Small, precise strikes against supply lines and isolated patrols were slowly draining the Vanguard’s resources without provoking an all-out hunt. Yet. The patrol entered the kill zone. Li Ming activated Brutal Intimidation. The shout echoed through the ravine, stunning the front and rear guards simultaneously. He descended like a crimson ghost — Spiked Charge slamming into the lead cart’s guards, short sword flashin
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