Umbra Frontier Online – A Casual Playthrough of the Umbra Witch

I roamed around the settlement the players have built here. Checking out the tents and shops they have here before going to do the Liberation Quest.

"Potions! Get your potions here!"

"Swords! Daggers! Staves! Or whatever weapon type you use! Come check it out!"

"Armours! Great quality armours! Or just fashionable apparels with no stats!"

There are many players doing business here and many more exploring the area like I am. The stores they have set up are just small tents with enough room to showcase their wares.

I wonder where they got all of this stuff? Are they from monster drops or were they handcrafted by the players selling these items?

I do have a skill that allows me to find crafting materials much easier. Maybe I should craft something myself when I get the chance to.

But as of right now, I have a goal to attempt the Liberation Quest, which can be activated at the city gate entrance of Arialight.

Dang, is it huge though....

"Hey, the Dark Elf chick over there!"

"Hm?"

A player running a strange store suddenly shouted aloud. He said "Dark Elf" which caught my attention since my character is one. But I wasn't sure if he was calling out to me or someone el—

"I'm talking to you, Miss Dark Elf Magician with the cool-looking cloak."

"Huh? Oh."

He meant me?

He nodded, confirming after I pointed at myself.

Then, I approached him thinking what he wants from me.

He has olive green hair, brown narrow eyes and is a High Elf, judging by the pointy long ears and snow white skin of his character.

"Can I help you?"

"No. Not really. I'm just curious. You're here to try and have a go at the Liberation Quest, aren't you?"

"Well yeah. Ain't that what everyone's here for?"

"Nope. Not exactly. Some of the players are just here to hang around. Some are here to do business and make profit like me. And some are here waiting to see the city be unlocked. The players who are here to attempt the Liberation Quest are actually in the minority."

"Why?"

"Because it's hard. The Liberation Quest is the one of the most difficult things of this game, so not many people are that keen on clearing it after trying it out once. But for those who are and love the challenge... well, they are right over there by the gate."

"I see...."

Where the High Elf shopkeeper had pointed, a few dozen players were standing there, seemingly making their last check before starting the quest. Some, on the other hand, were going through the large city gates, beginning the quest before others.

The number of players attempting the Liberation Quest weren't as many as the number of players roaming the place, that's for certain. Perhaps, it's because most of them were already in the city, going through their attempts. However, there was one thing I've noticed about the players by the gate and that is the fact that they are all in a party of sorts.

"Do you need to be in a party to attempt the Liberation Quest?"

"Nope. Soloing is fine. But it's not recommended. The Liberation Quest is so hard that it would be better to work with others, rather than attempting it alone. On the other hand, the monsters' level in the Liberation Quest scales off the party member with the highest level. So those in parties typically tend to look for members who are of the same level as them."

"Sounds like a drag."

"Indeed it is. But if it gives players a better chance of clearing the quest, then who cares. Besides, it seems like today is the day this city's Liberation Quest will be cleared."

"What do you mean?"

When I asked, the High Elf shopkeeper pointed at the spot next to the gate. There, a large gathering of players were all dressed in stylish red uniforms like an army of sorts, where the only people standing out among that crowd are the short-looking boy cladded in crimson-red armour and the maid next to said boy.

Why is there a maid here?

"They look... powerful."

"And they are. Those guys are the Red Legion."

"Quite the descriptive name."

"Well, it's just what we called them. Since they don't have an official name yet." the High Elf shopkeeper elaborated. "Their leader is that kid you see there. His name is Red. Class is Shielder and he's one of the top players in the game who'd played the beta version of the game. The maid next to him is Sayaka. Heard she's his actual maid in real life. Lucky kid."

"So he's a rich kid in real life, huh?"

Speaking of rich kids, I did tutor one back when I was a sophomore in high school. I wonder what he's doing nowadays....

"Anyways, if you wanna have a shot at clearing the Liberation Quest, it'd be best that you quickly find yourself a party and do it before Red and his Legionnaires do. They have been at it for the past few days already. Whatever strategies, plans or methods they have come up with, should be safe to assume that it will grant them victory tonight."

"Ok, but why? Will I not be able to attempt the Liberation Quest once it's been cleared?"

"No. You can still give it go even after the quest has been cleared. When you do that time, however, it'd be more like a simulation than compared to the real thing."

"But we're in a game, so isn't everything here technically a simulation."

"Haha! Yeah, you're right about that. But still, don't you think being the first to clear such a quest would be the most satisfying thing ever? I also heard that you can get some perks from doing so too."

"Huh. Is that so...? Well, when you put it like that, it does sound promising. Though, I honestly wouldn't mind not being the first to clear the quest."

By the way... I have been talking to this guy for a while now. But what exactly did he start striking a conversation with me for?

"Miss, I know I'm beautiful, but you don't have to stare at me like that."

"Pretty funny, aren't you?"

"Well, I try my best to be a fun guy."

"I see. So, why did you even call out to me?"

"Well, part of the reason is to try and flirt with you. But seeing as you aren't interested in me, maybe you'd be more interested in my wares."

"Soooo.... you just want me to buy something from you?"

"Yes and no. I want to do business with you. I have a good eye for people, you see, and you seemed like you would be a promising individual in the near future. Therefore, I figured it would be beneficial for me to build a relationship with you now. A business relationship, not a romantic one."

"Yeah. I get what you meant. So then, what are you selling?"

"Glad you'd asked! I've got a variety of nice equipment here. All of them being of Rare quality at least. Made by yours truly. Oh! And the name's Diego, just so you know."

"Yoru. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Diego."

With our conversation now turning into business, I began looking at Diego's wares as he kept taking them out from his inventory and placing them onto the already crowded counter before him.

How many stuffs does he have? I wondered, watching him excitedly showing off the equipment he'd made.

All of them were really good to be honest. And these are only the equipment meant for the Magician class he's showing. Well, my class is Magician after all, so it makes sense that he would cater his products to that specification.

Buying something shouldn't hurt, I suppose. I got money. But what should I buy is the quest— Wait.....

"Hey Diego, do you have any equipment that could be equipped on my off-hand?" I asked, remembering that I no longer have the Ritual Dagger of the Accursed equipped, since I gave it away to Yura.

Diego then snickered upon hearing my question. "Of course. Give me a moment." he said, keeping all of the wares he had displayed back into his inventory and taking out only the equipment I'd asked about.

"Here they are! Off-hand equipment that you can use." he said, displaying them all on the counter.

Ranging from throwing knives to daggers to bucklers, Diego's got about everything I would say.

I doubt I would need another weapon since most of my attacks tend to be from spells, with me using my staff as a whacking stick as the other form of attacking....

So, if I had to pick, I would go for a defensive gear, rather than an offensive one.

But the bucklers here don't look good at all.

They have good stats, don't get me wrong. The problem I have with it, however, is their design.

It's so crude, so ugly. Doesn't look like they would suit me at all.

"Do you have any other equipment like the bucklers?" I asked Diego with an unsatisfied tone.

He picked up on that and chuckled. "I see you're the type to choose fashion over stats, huh? Nice. Well, judging by your current look, I would have assumed that to be the case to begin with."

He then stores his wares again and takes out one to show to me.

"Would this.... be to your liking then?" he asked, presenting a dark-greyish gauntlet with a blue pearl of sort embedded in it.

And it's actually kind of stylish.

"This isn't just a gauntlet, is it?"

"Right on. This is a magic buckler I made myself while testing out the crafting system. It has a decent defensive stats and it will automatically invoke a Magic Shield to protect its wearer whenever they get hit by an attack. The effect occurs every three minutes though, so I deemed it a failure. But if you like, I could sell it to you at a low price."

Low price. I like the sound of that.

"So how much is it?"

"Oh, it's just 500,000 golds. No biggie."

"Uh what?"

500,000 gold. That's way more than I'd expected. More than the price of each equipment I'd bought at the equipment store in Lily Corvo.

Definitely not a "no biggie" if you ask me.

Then again, the stats and effect it has are good. And I suppose its quality matters too.

But on the other hand, I could be getting scammed by Diego for the price.

"Just so you know, that cloak of yours could easily sell for about three million gold, I would say, just for its aesthetics only. Even more if you add its stats and effects into the equation."

Three million for my Cloak of Romuli!? If that's true then, 500,000 gold would seem like nothing in comparison.

"Very well. I'll take it." I decided to buy Diego's Magic Gauntlet/Buckler. Paying him the money as he hands me the item to wear.

"Thank you for your purchase, Miss Yoru! I look forward to doing more business with you in the future. And good luck on your Liberation Quest attempt!"

With a new equipment bought and equipped, I waved goodbye to Diego and headed for the large city gate to take on the Liberation Quest.

Diego advised me to find a party, but I'm not going to do that.

I'm just here to see what the Liberation Quest is like after all. So there's no need to waste my time trying to find a party when I can do it alone.

And so, I initiated the quest and was transported into the quest area.

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[Notice! You are about to start the Liberation Quest: [Liberate the Holy City, Arialight.]]

[During the quest, players are not allowed to leave the quest area unless they forfeit the quest or die.]

[Once all participants have left the quest area or is/are dead, the quest will result in a failure. Destroying a Lumen Stone in each participant's inventory.]

[During the quest, skills can be obtained/evolved and equipment can be changed in the middle of battle.]

[During the quest, experience points will not be gained until the end of the quest when rewards are given accordingly.]

[Complete every objective to clear the quest.]

[We wish you luck, brave adventurer(s).]

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Liberation Quest: [Liberate the Holy City, Arialight.]

Arialight is under occupancy of the Umbra Lords. Complete the following objectives to free it from their control.

__________________

Kill all monsters in the city (0/2,000)

Destroy the Shadow Gates in the city (0/3)

Cleanse the Sacred Altar (incomplete)

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