Mage was an obvious pick. Magic had limitless potential, but it was also the most overused path in every fantasy setting, and more often than not—magic was too mathematical. He was finally becoming a main character, so Max wanted a unique path!
He did not want to become a wizard who needed to study the elements—that would make him too wise for his tastes.
Martial Artist class was a classic, but it must require relentless physical training. Max had no desire to spend years punching trees to grow stronger, either. Though being buff, hot, and masculine had its own temptation.
And usually, Martial Artists are weaker than mages. Though that depends.
Then, Healer. That sounded useful as well, but it screamed "support role." If he was going to live in a new world, Max wanted power, not a career in magical healthcare.
And for all he knew, doctors didn't actually get much game.
Ptui. Ptui. Ptui. I heard all the beautiful nurses who work night shifts are mostly cheaters, I don't want those anyway!!
Not that they might want him that badly either.
Their loss.
Beast Tamer was intriguing, though. Raising monsters and forging bonds with creatures had potential, but it depended too much on external factors. What if the world he wakes up in only has weak beasts?
Thus, all the human classes were sadly abandoned.
This young master is fated to be beyond human.
It was lonely at the top.
He sighed.
Then, the only real options were the Fiend Classes.
Ah… I can feel it.
The monster within me is waking up!
Cough.
Max got right into business.
Goblin? Hell no. No way he was starting as a weak, green rat with bad hygiene.
Hate Joker felt too edgy. Being hated just to get stronger? That was a one-way ticket to getting assassinated. More than that, it wasn't as good as the other classes.
For example, Blood Kin Copier could be terrifyingly powerful if he had the right family. Even if he didn't have such a family, if he forced such a thing into existence, that would also be enough.
But it was too dependent on others.
The situation with Milf Manic was the same. Even though the ability sounded so tantalizing, it was also too dependent on others. Though compared to Blood Kin Copier, it was less limited.
After all, one can only have a small family, but milfs were plenty under the sun.
Then there was 10X Milk Man. This was a truly intriguing choice to Max. After all, even though it was just as dependent on another person as Milf Manic or Blood Kin Copier, it was also quite something.
If he could bond with a prodigy, who surely existed somewhere, he could easily rise to the heaven while relaxing at home!
That was a crazy chance.
Ah, the hard choices a man has to make.
Max exhaled slowly. He had narrowed his choices down to four: Plunder Sucker, Blood Kin Copier, Milf Manic, or 10X Milk Man.
Each of those had one similar trait to them, Max noticed. And that trait was that they were not limited to their own class's Skills. Milf Manics could share skills with their harem, Blood Kin Copiers could do that with their families, 10X Milk Men could do that with their bonded, and Plunder Sucker could do that with anyone!
Now, the choice was simple.
There were advantages and disadvantages to each Class. For example, even though Plunder Sucker seemed like the best choice at a glance, it plundered while Blood Kin Copiers copied. Plundering would easily cause conflict, copying will not!
Whereas getting Milfs in a harem would be harder than just plundering random enemies.
What do I want…?
Hm…
There was only one choice that was completely dependant on himself.
If he chose Plunder Sucker… he'd have a straight path to domination. No slow grind, no limits—just pure, stolen power. No waiting for others to fall in love, no waiting for the binded person to grow stronger. All in his hand.
Final Decision: Max grinned.
Yes, he would love to throw spells around. Yes, he would love to bed neighborhood hot aunts. Yes, he wanted to do both of that at the same time and more. And for all of that to become a possibility at once, he obviously needed to choose the one that gave him the easiest and fastest route to the top.
"I choose—Plunder Sucker!"
[Class Selected: Plunder Sucker]
He blinked.
[Skills Acquired: Skill Drain, Vitality Theft, Luck Leech, Apex Predator]
A surge of energy coursed through him, setting his body trembling as an unseen force intertwined with his very being. His breath hitched. Something had awakened inside him—a primal hunger, an instinct to take.
Max breathed in. He finally opened his eyes, looking around with an expression of interest. He was in an unfamiliar room, but it still didn't click with clarity in his mind.
[Note: The Shard of Infinity is just a shard of the True Infinity and you need to find the other 8 Shards scattered across the world to complete it.]
Oh?
Max just stood up, feeling a bit dizzy but at the same time, dominating.
If the world was going to throw him into the deep end, he was going to rise to the top. By any means necessary.
A powerful aura built up around him.
Then.
He farted.
Oh no, big aura loss… He cringed. Then, having finally regained some of his clarity, he looked around with an expression of shock.
This really was an unfamiliar room.
"Where the heck am I?" he muttered.
The chandelier that loomed above him cast a soft glow in the entire room, making it feel cool even though it was a bit warm. Whereas the room itself radiated a regal royalty, like something straight out of a historical drama.
Some royal palace bedroom bullshit.
At its center stood a carved four-poster bed—queen-sized—flanked by a few magenta desks. On another side, a marble dresser with a gilded mirror reflected the windows.
The window stood open, its purple curtains billowing like ghostly veils in the night breeze. Beyond them, the full moon hung low on the horizon, cloaked in a soft, bluish glow, casting an ethereal shimmer over the world below.
Max's senses heightened. He could even feel the soles of his foot, resting against a rich rug atop the polished wooden floor, holding a spilled bottle of wine.
After a second, he came to an abrupt conclusion.
"Oh... I am home," he murmured—then his heart clenched.
Home?!
What home?!
What was he doing here when just moments ago, he was dying?
Wasn't all that system crap a dream?
Eh…
Eh…
Eh…
No.
Fucking.
Way.
His head throbbed and thinking made the pain intensify. Clenching his teeth to bear with it, Max looked to his left at the mirror.
He froze.
The person in the mirror was remarkably attractive, taller than average, lean, well-proportioned, with abyss dark eyes and deep, black hair that seemed to devour light. However, seeing that figure, Max soon descended into a state of anxious melancholy that significantly altered his entire demeanor.
Who was this, some hot instagram sigma boy?! Max was decent looking, and that too only on his best days.
If he felt more egotistical that day, he would look better. If he felt down, he would accept the fact that he was quite ugly. But the face that he was currently looking at was the kind of face that would be handsome on any day.
And this was not him.
Just as that realization settled in his mind, the splitting pain behind his eyes vanished. Then, memories surged forward—flashes of a life he hadn't lived, unraveling at an impossible speed.
A prince.
The pounding in his skull returned, but this time, it wasn't just pain. It was clarity. Pieces of the puzzle clicked into place.
Ryan Armedius.
That was the name of this body's previous owner. A prince of the royal Armedius Family—one of the most formidable human lineages in the entire Mugen Continent. Born into privilege, destined for greatness. That was him.
And yet, his story was anything but triumphant.
In this world of Mugen, almost every human was something more—a Mage, a Martial Artist, a Healer. Some rare few were even Beast Tamers, commanding creatures of immense power.
Humanity wasn't the apex predator of this world, but they weren't weak either. Even the mighty Dragons, rulers of the skies, dared not stir trouble in the heart of the human kingdom. That alone spoke volumes about what a Prince is expected to become.
But for Ryan, none of it mattered.
He had no talent for magic, no aptitude for martial arts, no healing gift—nothing. He wasn't just lacking; he was worse than the average commoner. A weak, useless prince. A noble by blood, but an outcast in worth.
It was a scenario Max had seen countless times in fiction. A boring cliche. But now, trapped within this cliche, feeling the weight of a life history pressing down on him—
It felt too real. The contempt in people's eyes. The cold indifference in their gazes.
Max paused as all the memories of the prince rushed into his mind—the prince had such a low self worth, he didn't even like seeing anyone outside his immediate family. His only three true connections that remained were his mother, sister, and personal maidservant.
Max frowned.
Why did these memories feel less like some dead guy's past and more like... his? Like he wasn't just seeing them—he had lived them?
No, that wasn't just a figure of speech.
The way Ryan thought, the way he carried himself—it was way too close to Max's own habits. The only real difference? Ryan's self-esteem was in the gutter.
Which meant…
Max didn't just wake up in some dead prince's body. He was Ryan. Had been this whole time. He just didn't remember until now.
As that thought settled, a dull throb pulsed at the back of his head. He reached up, fingers brushing against something wet. Bringing his hand forward, he squinted.
Red.
"Damn, is this all my blood?" he muttered, swaying.
Ah, fuck. I'm dizzy.
His weak body gave out, the world tilting around him. But just before he collapsed, he made sure to knock over a nearby vase.
That should get the attention of his cute little maid.