Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 18 An Unknown Journey, Suppressive Fear

Upon learning the details of the mission from Grand Duke Iltan, Zhang Yuan felt as if a huge boulder had been placed on his chest, and even his breathing became somewhat rapid.

He had participated in escort missions before, but the furthest he had ever been was only around the outskirts of Baldur's Gate. This was worlds apart from the expedition that went as far as Nashka and traversed almost the entire southern region of Sword Coast.

Leaving aside the hardships and toil of traveling in this era, and the bandits and robbers they might encounter on the road, the wild beasts and monsters roaming around were enough to give them a hard time.

In the game, anyone who dares to attempt to travel from Baldur's Gate straight from north to south to Nashka will most likely run into an ambush by monsters or bandits. The types are varied and never the same, such as packs of wolves, goblins, human bandits, mountain bears, and even worse, ogres and pterosaurs out hunting for loot.

Don't underestimate these casualties just because they're the protagonist's victims or easy experience points. With your team's average level below six, if you encounter dangerous monsters like ogre wizards or pterosaurs, you're almost guaranteed to be wiped out, or at least severely weakened.

Moreover, on the return journey, they would have to transport heavy and cumbersome ore. If they encountered a cunning enemy, or even a premeditated one, who might exploit this weakness, the entire squad could fall into an unpredictable predicament.

When Zhang Yuan agreed to Ska's request, he was inspired by courage and passion. However, when the excitement subsided and reason returned to control the situation, numerous difficulties loomed over his heart like layers of shadows. Various negative emotions, such as regret, fear, and resentment, surged from the bottom of his heart.

Zhang Yuan stood there blankly for a long time, then chuckled self-deprecatingly in a low voice, "Heh, I thought I was really brave, but when it comes down to it, I'm still the same useless otaku I always was."

As a seasoned bookworm who spends all day reading novels and loves debating with other readers in book reviews and chapter comments, I can say that so-called profound truths are basically nonsense.

If it comes to reasoning, Mr. Zhang can speak eloquently and endlessly, bringing out a whole host of theories, ideas, cases, metaphors, and so on, leaving the other party speechless.

It's a pity that if life could proceed according to reason, then there would be no "what ifs" in life.

When it actually happens to you, all the rational thinking, dialectical reasoning, and logical deduction you usually have all sprouted wings and flown away, leaving only a chaotic mess.

Humans are not purely rational beings. Even if he thought he was, cold-blooded considerations of self-interest could not always overcome emotions and impulses. So, knowing there was danger, he still followed Ska and joined the team.

Humans are also weak creatures, so when Zhang Yuan was told the specific details of the mission and truly understood how difficult this expedition would be, he couldn't help but feel regret, frustration, and even resentment, even though he knew that these negative emotions would not help at all.

Already somewhat dazed, Zhang Yuan racked his brains and knocked on the captain's door.

Knock knock knock~, Ska, who was busy packing her luggage, opened the door and saw Zhang Yuan looking dejected. She sighed and handed him a chair.

Zhang Yuan remained silent, took the chair and sat down, head down, seemingly deep in thought.

Ska didn't say anything, continuing with her work as if she didn't realize there was another guest in her room.

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

"Oh, you're finally going to talk? I was wondering how long you were going to keep it to yourself." Surprisingly, Ska wasn't angry or scolding him; she just looked at him calmly. "Isn't it normal for people to be afraid? You're not a golem, nor are you Tom, the god of courage. Why can't you be afraid?"

"But you also said that a warrior must have the courage to wield a sword."

"There's no contradiction. We muster our courage precisely because we have something we fear. Whether we run away or bravely face it, it's merely a way to deal with our fear, not its inevitable outcome." "You make a good point, but I keep thinking, what can a novice warrior like me, who only knows a couple of magic tricks, change even if I have the courage to draw my sword? Do I really need to participate in this mission?"

Ska's expression turned serious: "First of all, I must tell you that the moment you were received by the Grand Duke, you had no other choice. I don't need to elaborate on the consequences of quitting this secret mission halfway through."

"Secondly, you are more important than you think. Even low-level spells have their uses. In my adventures, I have seen too many battles changed by low-level spells, not to mention you are more than just a mage."

Ska looked into his eyes and said slowly, "You are a warrior. I used to doubt that, but now I'm certain you are. I've trained and mentored more warriors than our squad, but almost none of them have reached my level. Do you know why?"

“Talent?” Zhang Yuan tried to guess.

"That's right, it's talent! Most of them struggle to keep up after reaching level five or six. Whether it's physical improvement, reaction speed, or resistance to supernatural abilities, they all hit a bottleneck and make little progress. This is actually a sign that their potential has been exhausted."

"I'm only at level three, how do you know my potential?"

"When a person embarks on a professional career, their physical foundation is almost set. Unless there is a stroke of luck, they can only improve through long-term training day after day."

Zhang Yuan suddenly interrupted Shika: "Didn't I hear that physical attributes are enhanced when you advance in a profession?"

The other party retorted rudely, "Which lousy bard did you hear that from? It's because your physical attributes get stronger that you can advance to the next level, not the other way around."

He didn't give the newbie a chance to argue further: "Since you started training, your growth rate has completely exceeded my expectations. Even as a beginner, this speed is simply too fast. If your mastery of skills can be described as cleverness, then your already good physical fitness growing along with it can only be described as unreasonable talent."

Being suddenly showered with praise by the usually strict captain, the rookie really felt a little smug: "Really? Thank you."

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

"Yes, I understand." Knowing that this was for his own good, Zhang Yuan tactfully agreed and turned to prepare for tomorrow's departure.

Watching the rookie's departing figure, Ska thought of his first encounter with Grand Duke Iltan.

When he was just an unknown recruit in the Flame Fist, he was fortunate enough to be recognized by the Grand Duke and promoted to captain of the guard. As for his later experience of being sent down to the countryside, that is another story.

After being coaxed (or misled) by the captain, Zhang finally came to his senses and returned to his room to start planning for tomorrow's schedule.

The thought of spending at least a month on the road made Zhang Yuan smile bitterly. Even in his previous life, with buses, trains, and inns along the way, such a long journey was still tough, let alone in this world.

When packing his luggage, Zhang Yuan also brought some local specialties from his hometown just in case. As for dry food, it was provided by the company, so there was no need to bring your own.

Pretending to think for a moment, he chose to memorize the unchanging Mage Armor and Grease spells as his spells for the next day, and then fell into a deep sleep.

(End of this chapter)