Chapter 86: This place
Malum laughed to his heart’s content before he began speaking again. "Oh, Riven. It has been declared that if you want to be his disciple then you must take first place in the recruitment process that will properly screen up to two thousand people."
Riven stiffened. His heart began to beat fast. "And if I can’t win first place?"
Malum shrugged. "Then you can’t be his disciple. Those in power hold higher standards. You are then free to do whatever you want. Join the Faceless Ones? Go into the Shadowwood to hunt? Anything. The Lord already anticipated something like that, so he recommended that you enter the Faceless Ones even if you don’t take first place.
"They are powerful organizations and will sponsor you."
Riven sat back down. His heart began to beat fast. He realized that the Faceless Lord, while setting the task, did not have high hopes that he would take first place.
Riven frowned. ’...I want to be the most powerful. Then shouldn’t that mean that I should take first in everything?...’
He nodded firmly. "Very well. I will take first place."
Malum pretended to yawn. "That’s good and all, but you have a problem."
"What’s that?" Riven asked.
"You can’t win the number one spot. It’s impossible to do so as you are. One of the requirements for joining is that you must be either rank two or three. So it’s safe to say that a rank three will take the first spot."