Snow Castle Newbies Essential Reading: Listen Up to Big Bro from Now On
Snow Castle is a f***ing hard game, and yeah, the insane early-game entry barrier makes it super polarizing. But if you just follow the guidelines I'm laying out from here on, no matter how brutal it gets, you can scrape by somehow.
First off: Holy Knight route, Mystic Scholar route, all that stuff looks easy, but pure Hunter route crushes it in damage and agility. Pick that one.
When you hit Bandre village, there's a slave trader. Buy the little girl named 'Asti' as your slave. That's why I'm telling you Hunter route—don't question it. Weird s**t keeps happening? Keep her around anyway. Without her, boss fights later turn into a grindfest nightmare.
Weird.
I picked up the padlock hanging from the still-unconscious slave trader's pocket and unlocked the door for them. The kids inside came rushing out, hugging my legs and sobbing their hearts out before heading off somewhere under the direction of what looked like their leader, a girl.
As I watched that, I glanced at the girl still standing there, frozen in a daze, and recalled the post I'd seen on the community boards.
The reactions to that strategy post were pretty wild, but since it had even been pinned as an announcement, I had no choice but to trust it. Why would they go out of their way to label it "essential reading for newbies" if it was bullshit? No way the mods were all in on screwing over rookies.
So before starting the game, I'd searched for "Asti" and memorized her appearance. Half-lidded eyes, brown hair, that unsettling gaze like she was in another dimension entirely, and a doll-like look to her. It matched my memory perfectly—this kid had to be Asti.
I approached the utterly motionless Asti, and she looked up at me with an expressionless face.
"What's your name?"
"…Asti."
Yup, there it was. Simple guess turned into certainty in that instant.
"Why aren't you going with them?"
"I have nowhere to go."
Of course, gotta take it slow. I wanted to just scoop her up and go right then, but telling a kid who'd been forcibly dragged here to follow me would freak her out. Gotta ease in gently. Life's all about the buildup. You seep in gradually—no rushing it.
"Or go to the knights and ask for help. They'll take care of you. Figure out what you wanna do while you're at it."
Especially with a kid this guarded, and hey, leveraging my pretty decent looks as Leydan Tantun would be icing on the cake.
But Asti just tilted her head, not matching my expectations at all.
"If I find a knight, what kind of help should I ask for?"
"Hm?"
"I've only been taught how to please my master as a slave since I was little. What should I ask for to get something good?"
…Ah.
Her story hit like a gut punch, leaving me speechless. She dropped her head sharply, as if confirming it was all true. Every move seemed so detached, but to me, it just screamed heartbreaking.
No place to go, no hope. Humans can hold onto hope because they have somewhere to be—and they move because of that hope. This kid had zero motivation right now.
At this rate, any buildup talk was moot; leaving her here would make me the asshole.
"I'd rather you leave her behind."
"That vibe she's giving off… she's human, but not human somehow."
Too normal reactions from passersby for that. The Gardener's words nagged at me a bit, but when it came to judging people, I figured I was better at it than her. Like distinguishing 101 types of grasshoppers for us—same deal.
"Precisely, she is human. But…."
"…Never mind. Rash judgments invite disaster. Do what you think."
Why say it so vaguely? Making me uneasy for nothing. But this time, I couldn't agree with the Gardener. This was straight from a game strategy tip. Passing it up would be weirder. Gotta drag her along somehow—it'd help me out.
Yeah, silver lining. Gave me a solid excuse.
"Wanna come with me, then?"
"…Master?"
"No, not that…."
"…I see. So you're taking me to be disposed of."
Eh?
Her sudden extreme turn of phrase made my eyes go wide. But Asti said it all too calmly.
"Wha…?"
"If you're not my master, I'm useless as a maid. Might as well be scrap metal."
"Wait, no, that's not—!"
"Still, it'd be a shame to end like this. Could you maybe recycle me somehow?"
Her dry delivery of horror made my head throb. But she looked dead serious, which only flustered me more.
"Do I have to take you as my 'master'?"
"Otherwise, I'm useless."
"That's too extreme!"
I pushed back hard, but Asti showed no sign of budging, her face now full of resignation. Sigh, seriously. I was already tagged as a psycho attempted Outer God rapist—what next? But if I didn't take her now, she'd end up found dead soon enough. Terrifying thought.
I mulled it over forever, but only one path led to taking Asti: bite the bullet.
Just go for it. Change the title later, no biggie.
"Got it, Asti! From now on, I'm your master!"
Clatter!
I mustered my resolve and shouted, only for plastic to drop behind me. A chill shot up my spine as I turned—White Mask and Mu Yeon were standing there, who-knows-how-long.
Mu Yeon stared blankly, toy axe slipping from her grip.
"…Subordinate."
"No, it's not—! I mean, uh, yeah! This kid's…."
"Then, Master. Put this on my neck, please."
As I scrambled for excuses, Asti—oblivious as hell—held something out. A collar with a chain.
"Th-this is…?"
"The symbol that I'm your slave."
Ah. The word choice screamed "make me suffer"—way too provocative!
My head buzzed as I glanced nervously at White Mask and Mu Yeon. Mu Yeon gaped soullessly; White Mask crossed her arms.
"Sorry to interrupt your fun, but slaves are illegal for knights, subordinate."
"It's not like that!"
…Took forever to convince them.
I figured Mu Yeon and White Mask would keep eyeing me weird, but White Mask even chuckled lightly.
"Finding another mess like this after coming all the way here… At this point, feels like you're manufacturing incidents to solve 'em."
"Haha, yeah…."
It was an incident I couldn't ignore, but hey, good impression on the boss—win-win.
The world was already dim, but it grew subtly darker as time passed, clouds swallowing the light. With a camera, I'd have snapped it.
"Hmph. Back then too—you find bleakness beautiful."
Right. White Mask had been with me escaping the underground prison.
"Here. Where we're staying tonight."
We passed through the door of a decent-looking inn. Already booked—no greeting.
Up to the second floor. White Mask pointed to a room.
"That's yours. Plenty big for one."
"Ah, got it."
She glanced at Asti, then me. What?
"We'll bunk her with us. Don't pout."
"…Not pouting!"
Figures she'd cave easy! Dreading more grilling, I slumped toward my room but glanced back at Asti one last time. Following White Mask's lead, she flicked her eyes my way—sparkling suddenly.
…Why do the ones who latch on that hard always backstab?
…That strategy post legit, right?
I crashed on the bed and passed out. Hours later.
"…!"
Ria shook me awake like a maniac, eyes full of panic. Same for me—I was pale, arms flailing defensively.
Asti stood before me. Now gripping kitchen knives in both hands, rearing back to swing.
"…Asti, what the hell?!"
Only then did it hit me. I'd fallen for another trash community bait-and-switch!