#112 The Skill of Courage
Good evening, everyone!!
I'm GAMI, aiming to be a next-generation cool middle-aged guy (a.k.a. Jise-Oji).
A while back, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I got insanely hooked on a PS2 game called Dragon Quest VIII. I even played it like a fool, at one point ranking high in RTA (Real-Time Attack—competing to see how quickly you can clear a game from start to finish)!
Recently, since it was cheap on the Switch, I bought the Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster and play it when I want to take a breather♪ lol
Games from my elementary school days, like Dragon Quest V and Final Fantasy VI, were truly god-tier!
But that's not important at all... lol
Have you ever played RPGs like Dragon Quest?
For those who have, you'll know what I mean, but do you know about something called 'stats'?
What are stats?
I wrote a brief explanation next to the image above, but everyone has stats, which increase as you gain experience or equip better gear.
Doesn't this sound like something else???
I think we humans have stats just the same.
When you think of a person with high stats, who comes to mind?
A while ago, it might have been Ichiro or something...
Nowadays, Shohei Ohtani is the name that pops into everyone's mind, regardless of age or gender.
The reason for their high stats is, of course, that they are good at baseball...
In other words, I think the first thing to mention is that their baseball skills are extremely high, but I don't think you can become the kind of person everyone thinks of as having high stats just by having high baseball skills.
Of course, it goes without saying that their other skills are also consistently high, but...
Something that successful people and those who enjoy life have in common is...
It's a skill that only the Hero in Dragon Quest possesses.
The Skill of Courage—I believe it's people who have a high level of this.
The Skill of Courage
I want you to think about the Hero from Dragon Quest...
Why do you think the Hero is called the Hero?
Some might say, 'Well, because they're strong,' but...
If it's the Strength skill, the Warrior is stronger.
If it's the Agility skill, the Thief is faster.
If it's the Intelligence skill, the Sage is smarter.
If it's the Charm skill, the Gadabout is more charming.
For attack magic, the Mage is stronger.
For healing magic, the Priest is better.
To be blunt, being a hero means everything you do is half-baked.
However, there is one thing that you possess which is second to none compared to other professions.
And that is...
The skill called courage.
I would be happy if there are people who know Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai, but when the Beast King Crocodine attacked the Kingdom of Romos, the protagonist Dai and his companion Maam mustered their courage to challenge Crocodine and his horde of monsters to stop them.
Meanwhile, Pop, a mage who was Dai's companion, had a cowardly side. He stayed at the inn saying, 'I don't want to die, so I'm not going!' but in his mind, he was so worried about his friends that he couldn't sit still, yet he remained there because he couldn't summon the courage.
At that moment, the words spoken by Mazoh, a mage from the fake hero's party, stirred his courage.
↓↓↓
With these words, Pop awakened, rushed to the hero Dai and his friends, and used his stirred-up courage to drive back the Beast King Crocodine and his forces.
And later, even the Beast King Crocodine came to respect and admire Pop for this moment.
Honestly, while Dai is the protagonist of Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai, if you read it as a story of Pop's growth, it is incredibly moving.
If you have never seen it, please check it out, as the anime has been renewed! (Personally, I might have liked the past anime that was cancelled better... haha)
I've ended up promoting Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai, but...
I wanted to talk about how the skill of courage is very important.
I believe that for both Ichiro and Shohei Ohtani, while their baseball skills are obviously high, the reason they climbed to such heights is that their skill of courage was even higher.
But,the skill of courage is something anyone can possess.
Especially since you should be the hero who is the protagonist of your own life right now, I hope you will possess the skill of courage to fearlessly challenge anything, face difficulties, and create an even more wonderful story!!
Of course, those aiming to be cool middle-aged men are no exception; you must raise your skill of courage and take on the challenge of increasing your intelligence, charm, and cleanliness. Let's level up various stats with the skill of courage as the foundation and keep climbing to greater heights!!
Tomorrow is the publication day for the [Weekly Self-Improvement Happy Magazine]!
I've been really enjoying reading notes from various creators lately, so I'm really looking forward to writing my article tomorrow♪
I would be happy if you would come to read it tomorrow as well.
Well then, see you again tomorrow!