An Unknown Journey, Suppressed Fear

Zhang Yuan felt a heavy weight pressing down on his chest, making his breathing shallow, after learning the details of the mission from Grand Duke Iltan.

He had participated in escort missions before, but they never went further than the outskirts of Baldur's Gate. This was worlds apart from an expedition as far as Nashkel, traversing almost the entire southern region of the Sword Coast.

Never mind the hardships and toils of long-distance travel in this era, or the bandits and robbers they might encounter on the road; the wild beasts and monsters roaming everywhere were enough to give them trouble.

In the game, anyone daring enough to try traveling directly from Baldur's Gate to Nashkel would likely run into ambushes from monsters or bandits. The types were varied and never repeated, such as wolf packs, goblins, human bandits, mountain bears, and even more outrageously, ogres and wyverns looking for an easy meal.

Although these were just fodder for the protagonist's blade, experience points delivered right to their doorstep, with his party's average level below six, encountering dangerous monsters like ogre shamans or wyverns would inevitably lead to heavy losses, if not a total annihilation.

What's more, they had to escort heavy, cumbersome ore on the return trip. If they encountered cunning enemies, or those who had planned this in advance, exploiting this weakness, the entire party could fall into unforeseen difficulties.

When Zhang Yuan agreed to join Skar, he was fueled by courage and passion. However, as the initial excitement faded and reason took over, the immense difficulties cast a shadow over his heart. Feelings of regret, fear, and resentment churned within him.

Standing there blankly for a long time, Zhang Yuan chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Heh, tsk, I thought I was truly brave, but when it comes down to it, I'm still the same useless shut-in."

As someone who read novels all day and loved debating with fellow readers in comment sections and chapter reviews, Zhang Yuan considered most "grand principles" to be nonsense.

If it were about arguing, he, Zhang, could talk eloquently, presenting a barrage of theories, philosophies, case studies, and analogies to leave his opponents speechless.

Alas, if life could proceed according to principles, the word "if" wouldn't exist in life.

When things actually happened to him, all the rational thinking, dialectical reasoning, and logical deduction he usually had in his head suddenly sprouted wings and flew away, leaving only a chaotic mess.

Humans are not purely rational beings, even if he considered himself to be. Cold calculations of self-interest might not always triumph over emotions and impulses. Therefore, even knowing the danger, he still joined the party with Skar.

Humans are also weak creatures. So, after being informed of the specific details of the mission and truly understanding how difficult this expedition would be, Zhang Yuan couldn't help but feel regret, dejection, and even resentment, even though he knew these negative emotions wouldn't help at all.

Zhang Yuan, feeling somewhat dazed, racked his brain for the last time and knocked on the captain's door.

Knock, knock, knock~ Skar, busy packing his luggage, opened the door to see a dejected Zhang Yuan. He sighed and offered a chair.

Zhang Yuan didn't say a word, took the chair, and sat down, lowering his head as if deep in thought.

Skar didn't speak either and continued his packing, as if unaware of the guest in his room.

After a long silence, Zhang Yuan finally spoke, his voice hoarse and torn, "Captain, I'm scared."

"Oh, you're finally going to say it? I was wondering how long you'd keep it to yourself." To Zhang Yuan's surprise, Skar wasn't angry or stern; he just looked at him calmly. "Isn't it normal for people to be afraid? You're not a golem, nor are you Torm, the god of courage. Why shouldn't you be afraid?"

"But you also said that a fighter needs the courage to draw their sword."

"That's not a contradiction. We muster our courage precisely because there are things we fear. Whether we flee or face them bravely, they are simply ways of dealing with our fear, not the inevitable outcome of fear itself."

"What you say makes sense, but I keep thinking, as a novice fighter who only knows a couple of tricks, what can I change even with the courage to draw my sword? Do I really need to participate in this mission?"

Skar's expression turned serious. "First, I must tell you that the moment you were received by the Grand Duke, you actually had no other choice. The consequences of withdrawing from this secret mission midway are self-evident."

"Secondly, you are more important than you think. Even low-level spells have their uses. In my adventuring career, I've seen countless situations where low-level spells changed the tide of battle. Moreover, you are not just a mage."

Skar looked into his eyes and said slowly, "You are a fighter. I used to doubt that, but now I am certain you are a fighter. I've trained and guided more fighters than the number of people in our party, but almost none could reach my level. Do you know why?"

"Talent?" Zhang Yuan ventured a guess.

"Exactly, talent! The vast majority of them found it difficult to progress further after reaching level five or six. Their physical growth, reaction speed, and resistance to supernatural abilities all hit a bottleneck, with little to no improvement. This is actually a sign that their potential has been exhausted."

"I'm only level three. How do you know my potential?"

"When a person embarks on a professional path, their physical foundation is almost set. Unless they have a rare encounter, they can only improve through day after day of long and arduous training."

Zhang Yuan suddenly interrupted Skar, "Didn't I hear that physical attributes increase when one advances in their profession?"

The other party replied unceremoniously, "Where did you hear that from some mediocre bard? It's because your physical attributes have strengthened that you can advance, not the other way around."

Without giving the rookie a chance to argue further, he continued, "Since you started training, your growth rate has completely exceeded my expectations. Even for a beginner, this speed is truly remarkable. If mastering techniques can be described as being clever, then your already decent physical fitness also improving can only be described as unreasonable talent."

Being praised so unexpectedly by the usually strict captain made the rookie feel a little lightheaded. "Really? Thank you."

"You're welcome. In any case, this mission will last for a long time, so be prepared. Training will continue during the journey."

"Yes, I understand." Knowing it was for his own good, Zhang Yuan wisely agreed and turned to prepare for the departure the next day.

As he watched the rookie's retreating back, Skar thought of his own first encounter with Grand Duke Iltan.

When he was just an unknown recruit in the Flaming Fist, he was fortunate enough to be recognized by the Grand Duke and promoted to captain of the guard. His subsequent reassignment for experience was another story.

Having been 'guided' (deceived) by the captain, Zhang Yuan finally came back to his senses and returned to his room to organize his affairs for the next day's journey.

Thinking that the journey would take at least over a month, Zhang Yuan could only force a wry smile. Even in his previous life, with long-distance buses, trains, and roadside inns, such a long journey would have been daunting, let alone in this world.

While packing his luggage, Zhang Yuan also brought along some local specialties from his hometown just in case. As for rations, they would be uniformly issued, so he didn't need to prepare them himself.

Feigning contemplation, he chose to memorize the indispensable Mage Armor and Grease as his spells for the next day, and then fell into a deep sleep.