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I am writing a story, but I got stuck on this sentence: No one dared to volunteer, as that meant risking one's life.
Does this sound correct/natural? Or should I change this sentence to: No one dared to volunteer, as that would mean risking one's life.
Which seems better and more correctly stated? Thank you.
Both are correct. The choice is yours:
If you want to convey that risking one's life is certain if one volunteered, then "No one dared to volunteer, as that meant risking one's life." is better.
If you want to express risking one's life as a hypothetical situation or something that might happen if one volunteered, then "No one dared to volunteer, as that would mean risking one's life." is better.
