Max ate his food silently, his attention fixed on a group of young men nearby. They seemed to be discussing something interesting, so he listened carefully while savoring his meal.
"I heard that Killian Blade will soon upgrade his rank to Apprentice Rank, and that the number one spot in the Novice Rankings will be vacant in the Battle Realm."
"This has been the talk lately. I mean, he has held the number one spot in the Novice Rankings for two years straight. Of course, there's bound to be a commotion when he upgrades to Apprentice Rank."
"He's invincible in the Novice Rank. Nobody could defeat him, so he might as well upgrade his rank and let others fight for the number one spot."
"It's a shame that number two and number three in the rankings are from the Thorne and Ashford families. Thomas Reed from our guild is at level four."
"Don't worry too much. With Killian gone, nobody will be able to hold onto the number one rank for that long."
