Lucius was now annoyed by Magnus, as he immediately raised his hand to stop him. "Enough, Magnus. Stop this pathetic display."
Lucius then began to mock him and also left him no room for argument. "Don't tell me you're chickening out. Are you actually scared of some... Evolist?"
Magnus was frozen after hearing his words. He immediately replied, "It's not about fear, but it is about strategy. Kaelix is the Rank 1 Evolist of the Golden Class. He's influential around here. If we provoke him, it could..."
Lucius immediately became angry and shouted at him; that made Magnus step back a bit. "Stop your whining, Magnus and let me make something very clear here."
Lucius then took a step forward and began to pressure Magnus, "I don't care about his influence. I don't care about his rank. And I certainly don't care about what he thinks he's entitled to."
Magnus opened his mouth as he tried to speak but it was immediately stopped by Lucius as he continued to mock Kaelix.
"Kaelix Kryndal is a nuisance. He is a bug that I'll squash the moment he crosses me again. And if you're too afraid to stand up to him, then perhaps you're the one who doesn't deserve your rank."
Magnus clenched his fist as the insult hit him harder than he expected. "It's not that, Lucius. It's just that Kaelix has connections, and he's been here longer. You can't just..."
Lucius immediately raised his voice and stopped Magnus. "I can, Magnus. And I will. But more importantly, you can."
Magnus was immediately confused about what Lucius was talking about and Lucius began to explain it more to him.
"Magnus... you are the young master of the Volcaria family, one of the strongest families in the world. You have a body built like a war beast, an aura fierce enough to intimidate half the academy, and yet..."
Lucius looked disappointed as he began to talk with disdain, "And yet... you are acting like a timid little child."
Magnus frowned as he began to talk back, "I'm not..." but Lucius immediately stopped him again as he took another step forward.
"Look at me, Magnus. I'm just a weak boy, a handsome little orphan who couldn't even tame a beast. And yet, here I am, standing tall and commanding respect."
He paused and soon delivered the final bow to him. "But you? You're muscular, strong, a 3-Star Tamer who can control beasts I've evolved for you into powerful creatures."
Lucius then glared right onto his face, "And here you are... trembling at the thought of challenging someone just because they're the 'Rank 1 Evolist'. You are really pathetic, Magnus."
Magnus looked down at his clenched fists. The words that Lucius said really stung him, but he couldn't deny their truth.
He had been cautious since arriving at the academy, intimidated by the sheer number of powerful students, and now, standing before Lucius, he felt that his insecurities were exposed.
Lucius then folded his arms and continued, but this time he was not as angry as before. "Magnus, let me remind you of something."
Lucius then reminded him about his family: "The Volcaria family is stronger than you think. Your father, Ragnar, is a man so powerful that few dare to even speak his name in defiance. And yet here you are..."
He leaned forward and glared at Magnus. "Cowering like a frightened child. Be a man. Handle those bastards who dare to cross us. Break and shatter their confidence before they even think about challenging you again."
Magnus then began to absorb Lucius' words. Lucius also began to place his firm hand on Magnus' shoulder to assure him.
Lucius also instructed him something else. "Go to the arena. Challenge someone or even anyone you want; either it is a weak or strong one."
Lucius also explained the reason for this: "You need to remind yourself who you are and why you're here. Build your confidence, Magnus. Prove to yourself that you're worthy of carrying the Volcaria name."
Magnus lifted his head and looked at Lucius. He began to become enlightened and nodded at Lucius.
"You're right, Lucius. I've been holding back for too long. I've let my own doubts cloud my strength. Thank you for your words. They have shown me what I need to do." Magnus said after being enlightened.
Magnus also began to feel awful after getting angry at Lucius earlier. "And I'm sorry for doubting you earlier, Lucius."
Magnus then clenched his fist and raised it. "You've already proven yourself to be in a higher position than me. I'll make sure I'm not a disappointment to the family."
Lucius only smirked after hearing it. "No need to apologize, Magnus. You're the face of the Volcaria family, so remember that you need to show them what it means to challenge our family."
Magnus nodded and without another world, he turned and ran toward the arena. Lucius also smirked upon seeing the new Magnus.
Lucius also turned to the system and made a new hack: "System, hack him to grant him a boost in confidence and bravery if he wins and a minor increase in both if he loses, enough to fuel his persistence for 24 hours."
---
[Hack Initiation: Temporary Confidence and Bravery Enhancement]
[Resources Required: 100,000 Hack Points.]
---
Lucius only chuckled after seeing the hack and looked toward Magnus, who had been gone from his sight. "Let this be my gift to you."
Luna, who already looked at the full scene, asked Lucius as she was curious, "Master, what did you just do?"
Lucius turned to her and smirked, "Nothing too troublesome, Luna. I just give him a little push so he can learn how to stand on his own two feet a little bit easier."
Luna, who heard it, smiled and said, "I see, Master. As expected of master, you can even help stupid young master like him."
Lucius only smiled after hearing Luna's praises and soon both of them began to enter the market to find some beasts.