How to Survive at the Academy - Chapter 21

How to Survive at the Academy

Chapter 21: Glasskan Subjugation Expedition (1)

The true nature of ‘Silvenia’s Failed Swordmaster’ would start to appear the more you play it.

The game was filled with small details that unexpectedly had an intent and meaning. Not to mention the fact that the story was full of hidden episodes where you could learn new things about characters, even the ones who were already out of the story. 

The game put so much effort into fleshing out the characters of various students, the faculty, and the side characters, that it created an immersive experience for the player. This was what made the players want to play the next episode immediately after finishing a chapter.

This was also why it felt so impossibly unfair that I became a character whose role was done the minute the story began, and then, later on, was shown as a beggar.

But that wasn’t my point. 

My point was that, given how huge the story was, it was obvious how all characters could be given the same level of importance. 

It was only natural that there would be important and influential characters, and characters who would just be there in the backdrop.  

But there was at least one time when I felt this shouldn’t have been the case.

‘Inquirer Glast’ was the Act 2 boss, while ‘The Awakened Lucy’ would be for Act 3, and of course, Act 4’s boss was ‘The Head of the House, Krepin Rothstaylor’.

It was clear the developers put more effort into making these bosses. They all had a variety of motives and circumstances and were coming from different backgrounds, resulting in a situation where they were blocking the main character Taylee.

Defeating each boss gave the players a strange sense of appreciation for their aesthetics and their values, and the variety of powers they possessed. 

But that feeling didn’t exist for the Act 1 boss, ‘Yennekar Palerover.’

She was the only boss who had no sense of identity.

She fell victim to the whispers of the high-ranking dark spirit Velosper. She released all the spirits she made contracts with using Velosper’s ‘Berserk’ and wreaked havoc on the Student Center atop Nail Hall. Yennekar stood there and watched as the darkness took over the buildings… it definitely had some great impact.  

It left a strong first impression on players due to the gap between that image and when she was running around campus full of energy

But that was it.

The Glasskan Subjugation Expedition marked the end of Act 1. It was the episode where Tayle realized the ways of the sword and succeeded in cutting down a high-ranking spirit for the first time, signaling the start of the game’s grand story. 

I even had to consult an online guide to beat the chapter because the difficulty level was quite high. What was the nickname of the person who wrote the strategy? Was it Peppero? But yeah, it was such an old distant memory that it seemed useless to think about it now.

Anyway, my point was that Yennekar was pushed to the sidelines due to the entire chapter focusing on Taylee’s growth. Her story, and thus, many parts about her ended up becoming unknown. 

All they said about her was how she fell victim to the cruel whispers of Velosper and had her heart swallowed up by the darkness. It was so vague, what else could I do but move on?

But I knew the game would never waste such an important character like that.

They didn’t even use some other character, but specifically used Yennekar as the final boss of Act 1. There must definitely be a reason, or maybe a message they were trying to convey.

But till the very end of the game, no such thing was found. I passionately analyzed and thought about this plot point a lot as a dedicated fan of the game. But I didn’t have many clues to go on.

Maybe there were parts that got cut off during the production? Or maybe during the quality control inspection process?

In the end, this part of the game left me feeling unsatisfied. 

Oh well, there wasn’t anything that could be done about it anyway. 

“Just as I thought. I need to build a cabin.”

I said with full determination.

I had already raised my Vitality. I was now able to prepare materials faster using magic. And I had already gathered food to the extent that I didn’t need to worry about what to eat the next day.

With these things established, I needed to start working on the basics to survive in the forest long-term. 

I couldn’t even lie and tell you the wooden shelter I had right now was durable. It wasn’t useful enough for the amount of work I do to maintain it.

A shelter without a proper roof and walls would have awful heating options. Of course, the weather was still good as it was still spring, but I had to take into consideration the fact that I had to spend three winters in this forest. This wooden shelter couldn’t guarantee me a safe living accommodation, given how it kept on falling apart every other day.

But not only that! My production skills would exponentially increase if I were to do long-term projects like building a wood cabin. 

This would be a great opportunity for me to raise my Daily Life Production Skills in one go, given how its increase had gotten slower. My Handicraft proficiency had been stuck at level 10 for a while now, and my Design proficiency’s growth had been too slow, although this was indeed relatively difficult to raise compared to other skills.

The goal was to utilize Ed Rothstaylor’s innate talent in production. The only option for him was to focus on developing his production skills, which would positively affect his stats. 

This was no different from reality or other games. If you had a special talent, take advantage of it.  

“Hm… Come to think of it, I heard he already defeated the mid-stage boss for Act 1.”

It seemed that there hadn’t been any unexpected variables that would change the story’s original progression.

Lucy did beat Taylee up pretty badly during the Joint Combat Practice, but it didn’t seem to be too big of a variable given how he still defeated the mid-stage boss ‘Nosy Elvira’ from the Alchemy Department. It was said that she passed out after being hit by Taylee. 

I also hear Princess Penia frequently visited the student council, and there had already been talks among faculty members about her being a candidate as the next student council president.

There was also the episode where Lortel reconciled with Yennekar and seeing how Lortel’s visit was a while ago, things seemed to be going well on that front as well.

There was no reason for me to worry about the story’s progression given how everything seemed to be going according to the timeline that I knew of.

Besides, why do I keep on worrying about things I could do nothing about? What I needed to do was continue developing myself and taking care of the things I needed to do so I can live a comfortable life.

“I need to make myself busy…”

I still had a bit of time before Act 1 finished. I also had to solve my tuition issue. Thankfully, my grades are coming along fairly decently, so I thought I could expect some surprisingly positive results. 

I began cleaning the fish I caught on my farm with a satisfied smile on my face. I actually caught a fairly large rockfish. This would be my first time cooking a fish like it so I thought a lot about how I should go about approaching it.

Well, simple salt on the grill should make it delicious.

Yeah, I should cook that for dinner. And using the herbs I had collected with Bell Maya’s advice, I would also make some fragrant herbal tea to drink while I study later in the evening.  

Yennekar Palerover took over the Student Center the evening after tomorrow.

The final phase of Act 1 came a month earlier.

It was a catastrophic and unexpected change.

* * *

* * *

※ This is PepperoPepe’s ‘How to Attack the Act 1 Boss for Beginners: Detailed as Much as Possible!’(http://tuosihtepyttnodesaelp.co.kr/memopad15263) This is a summary of the basic information and strategies. 

※ If you want a more detailed strategy guide, please refer to the original article!

1-10 Act 1: Final Chapter

Boss: Elementalist Yennekar (The Elemental Summoner)

This boss has a total of 5 phases. Takes quite long so make sure you check your consumables and equipment durability before starting the boss battle.

■ Phase 1: Gathering your subjugation force

Achievement Conditions:

Please gather these characters at the Student Square!

‘The Princess of Benevolence Penia’ 

‘The Spear from Nature Ziggs’ 

‘The Golden Daughter Lortel’ 

‘Companion Ayla’ 

‘Nosy Elvira’ 

‘Gloomy Clevius’

For additional achievements, also gather:

‘Romantic Adele’

‘Lazy Lucy’

‘Senior Maid Bell’

Appearing Enemies:

Spirit’s Stigma x120

Protected Young Fluid Spirits x60

Elemental Traces x60

Low-ranking Fire Spirit Gouda x1

Low-ranking Ice Spirit Elkyra x1

Low-ranking Wind Spirit Norton x1

Low-ranking Earth Spirit Pique x1

Low-ranking Light Spirit Rakie x1

※ Approaching the outskirts of the academic district caged in by a magic seal will result in instant death. Don’t go near the outskirts!

※ The most efficient path to follow is in this order: Olin Square > Obel Hall > Taneth Magic Supplies Storage > Western Archery Center > Neilton Training Center > Student Square.

※ You don’t have to defeat all the spirits roaming around. But defeating the fire spirit Gouda and the light spirit Rakie will make moving around easier so defeat them first!

※ Meeting the additional achievement conditions only give a little bit of Likeability for each character. The characters will not participate in the subjugation. But try to meet ‘Romantic Adele’ since she gives a useful buff for attacking the boss later on. 

If you’re trying to 100% clear the stage: Adele can be found playing ukelele in the grass behind the Western Archery Center, Lucy can be found taking a nap on the roof of Obel Hall, and Bell can be found next to a statue in Olin Square.

※ If you intend on investing in your Alchemy or Spiritual Skills in the future, it will be beneficial to improve your Spirit Understanding and Spirit Resonance during this phase. 

■ Phase 2: Operation Reclaim The Student Center

Achievement Condition:

Find the location of Elementalist Yennekar

Appearing Enemies:

Spirit’s Stigma x30

Elemental Traces x30

Mid-ranking Wind Spirit Pesci x1

Mid-ranking Fire Spirit Olgoas x1

Spiritual Beast Altair x1

※ Elementalist Yennekar is located in Nail Hall. But don’t enter Nail Hall first. If you choose ‘Enter Nail Hall first’ as proposed by The Golden Daughter Lortel, you’ll get a bad ending so please take caution!

※ Mid-ranking spirits can’t be damaged by same-elemental attacks. If you want, just wait until your subjugation force takes down the mid-ranking spirits. 

※ Entering Hayes Hall first will give you the wind spirit Pesci. Entering Glock Hall first gives you fire spirit Olgoas. So please choose which building to enter while considering your Elemental skills.

※ There’s a trick you can do using Straight Slash when you attack Altair at the entrance of Nail Hall. Please refer to the original article for more information.

■ Phase 3: The Battle at Nail Hall’s Corridor

Achievement Condition:

Get to the Combat Practice Field where Elementalist Yennekar is waiting

Appearing Enemies:

High-Ranking Fire Spirit Takan x1

※ The entrance will be different depending on what you chose after defeating Altair. The turning point will pass by quickly so make sure to pay attention. 

※ The key to defeating Takan is to continuously damage its tail using your Elemental Slash, which you should’ve learned from Act 1 Chapter 9. After you cut off the tail using Elemental Slash, use it again to attack the head.

※ Avoid getting hit by Takan’s periodic skills Ignite and Tail Whip. Bleeding and Burn statuses will stack with each repeated hit.

※ There are three cutscenes mid-battle where the pillars around the corridor will collapse. You will instantly die if a pillar falls on you so be sure to watch out for it!

■ Phase 4: Final Phase

Achievement Condition:

Stop the summoning ceremony of the high-ranking dark spirit ‘Glasskan’.

Appearing Enemies:

High-Ranking Dark Spirit Glasskan x1

Elementalist Yennekar x1

※ The 5th phase is just an event cutscene so this is the real final phase. Proceed with the mindset that you will have to use all your remaining consumables. 

※ Immediately attacking Yennekar, who is conducting the summoning ceremony, will reflect the damage back at you due to Dark Curtain.

Attacking Velosper first will temporarily remove Dark Curtain which will allow Yennekar to take damage. But be careful of her counter-attack magic!

※ If The Benevolent Princess Penia dies, you will get a bad ending so make sure to keep track of her health! 

If the Princess of Benevolence Penia who is building the defense dies, a bad ending is unavoidable. Make sure to keep track of her health.

※ If you met with ‘Romantic Adele’ in phase 1, then you should be immune to Velosper’s ‘Blood Curse.’ But still, be careful because not all the members of your subjugation force are immune. 

■ Phase 5: Glasskan Subjugation

Achievement Condition:

Defeat the Highest-ranking Dark Spirit Glasskan’s’ right hand.

Appearing Enemies:

Highest-Ranking Dark Spirit Glasskan’s’ Right Hand x1

※ This is just an event cutscene. All you have to do is watch it.

※ ‘Swordsmaster’s Skill’ will be added to your skills tab afterward. Make sure to train this whenever you have the time because increasing this skill’s proficiency gives generous bonus stat rewards! 

■ Other Notes

※ You need to defeat Yennekar Palerover before dawn or you will trigger a bad ending. ‘Intact Glasskan’ will be summoned! So make sure to work quickly.

This is the end of this guide.

It seemed there were many beginners who rage quit cause they can’t complete Act 1. I already selected the important information and summarized everything so please make sure to check the whole guide before entering the final stage.

Good luck!

* * *

I heard an owl’s cries somewhere in the dark forest.

The cicadas buzzed along in harmony with the occasional sound of the leaves shaking in the wind.

I realized that even the forest had its own charm in the middle of the night.

I looked up at the countless stars that filled the sky like sand on a beach and had a sentimental thought strike me.

I couldn’t help but wonder how trivial the struggles I went through were from the perspective of this vast universe. 

It was such a useless though.

But then another thought came to mind.

There were no guarantee things would progress exactly as they did in the official timeline.

That extremely obvious fact was so abrupt that I couldn’t help but smile.

I had already adjusted to this lifestyle. But I shouldn’t completely lose my sense of urgency. 

I made up my mind and threw the poker into the campfire.

It was time to end the day.

I stretched my body before quietly laying down in my shelter.

I hoped tomorrow would be another peaceful day.

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