The Rise from Max Level 1: How I, the Lowest Level, Became the Strongest in Another World

I leapt down into the hole.

“Ah! Ugh… Owww!”

The hole hadn’t been that deep, but since I’d landed on my injured leg, sharp, stabbing pain shot up through my body. The pangs of pain hummed around my leg for a bit before fading away.

That said, the smell down here was atrocious – it was so bad, I had trouble breathing, but I forced myself to deal. It was so dark around me that I couldn’t see much of anything, but once my eyes adapted a bit, I was able to tell out my surroundings just slightly.

The hole I’d fallen in didn’t house that big of a room, but maybe the goblins wouldn’t come down after me in that case? I wondered if there was a way out, but once I started poking my nose around…

“Ahhh?!”

I accidentally let out a shout when I came across something out of nowhere. Not only that, but it was a dead body, and what a body it was. It had already started its decomposition process, but I could tell the gigantic head in front of me was from some kind of serpent. I was sure the body was around here somewhere too, but all I could see was the giant serpent head in front of me.

I see. So, that horrific smell must have been coming from this body rotting down here. I decided it was in my best interest not to go near something so dirty, but I couldn’t see a single other thing down here.

Only thing left to do was pray that those goblins wouldn’t think to come down…

But, of course, once I raised my head back up, I saw those damned things peering down into the hole. It seemed like they were debating on whether to climb down or not. I was dead meat for sure if they did, though.

I desperately wished with all of my heart that they’d just go the hell away.

Oh, but look at that: they’d gotten some kind of rope and had started climbing down into the pit. What a surprise.

Shit, what was I supposed to do now?!

Oh, wait… Wait!

Thinking back to when I checked my stats earlier, I remembered that I was supposed to have some skill called Corpse Absorption. If I could use that skill to absorb this serpent’s body, that could definitely tilt things into my favor. Even if nothing happened and the body disappeared somehow, then I’d at least have the chance to create some space between me and the goblins and find a way to get out of the situation.

There was always the chance that I could, right?

Besides, if I lost my nerve here, the skill could backfire and kill me instead, but this was my last alternative.

Ah, but… How exactly was I supposed to absorb it anyway?

Maybe I just had to touch it and will it to absorb into me?

I placed my right hand against the skull. Nothing happened at first, but I faintly heard words flow into my mind mechanically:

“Will you absorb this corpse?”

Oh. So I didn’t just will it into action, huh?

Within my mind, I answered back, “Yes, absorb it.”

With that, from the palm of my hand flowed out a spiraling maelstrom of energy, sucking in the corpse into its very depths.

It only took seconds for the vortex to envelop the entire body. Once it did, a mechanical voice sounded within my head with an announcement:

“Earth Dragon was absorbed successfully. HP +100, MP +50, Attack +50, Defense +100, Speed +30. Skill points gained: +10. Gained skill: Level 1 Identify. Gained skill: Level 3 Meteorite.”