Drujinn, The Frost Elf Guardian

Before Albrecht could bombard the System with questions, it gave an excuse as to why it couldn't see through the disguise of the vampires. Their skill in human disguise was so high-leveled that it fooled even the System.

In the System's defense, this was the first time it encountered a vampire-exclusive skill that could mimic the human race, and Albrecht heaved a sigh.

"I'm sorry for tricking you, Albrecht." Claude bowed his head. Before he could apologize to Anastasia, she gave him a good whack on the head.

"How could you do that, big brother!" Anastasia 'hmph'ed as she repeatedly slammed her pudgy fists on Claude.

"In any case, we have to go, right?" Claude called out.

Albrecht nodded his head. With Claude's help, they might be able to clear everything on time. He had plenty of questions in his mind but that could wait.

"The High Elder who gave you the revelation... do you happen to know his name?" Albrecht asked.

"Yes, his name is Drac, the High Elder that rules over the entirety of Vampires." Claude continued. "The High Elder is in the Inner Layer, so the only way they could communicate with us is if they gave us a revelation."

"I see..." Albrecht more or less understood the situation. The High Elders were higher than Outerlayer Guardians, and he was bound to face them in the future.

Actually, Albrecht already knew the name of the High Elder, he just had to ask Claude to see if he would tell the truth or not. Now he knew that he was trustworthy, and he could trust him through clearing the Third Outerlayer.

"So... you're going to the Third Outerlayer, right?" Rhydderch butted into the conversation. "When are you going? If you want, I can form an adventurer party and go with you tomorrow."

"Yeah, even though we've had a couple of drinks, we can go raid a dungeon just fine tomorrow," Cainsz added.

"I'm sorry, but we're going right now. We have to clear it before first light tomorrow." Albrecht bowed down. "Well then, if you'll excuse me."

Without further ado, the trio exited the Rusty Key Tavern. The reason why Albrecht went here in the first place was to formally excuse herself from the gathering. It was only a coincidence that Albrecht happened to go to the Rusty Key Tavern as well.

As the doors to the tavern swung a couple of times before they closed, Cainsz and Rhydderch stared at each other before shrugging their shoulders together.

"Are they really going to conquer the Third Outerlayer? In the middle of the night?" Cainsz asked. Just thinking about it was absurd enough as it is.

"I don't know... but knowing that guy... he just might do it," Rhydderch said with a smile before he returned to his seat. "Let's pray he makes it."

— — —

Somewhere in the Second Outerlayer,

Just like any other Outerlayers out there, the Second Outerlayer was littered with various Zecian Portals that lead to other places located in the Second Outerlayer. Some of the portals also led to other Outerlayers, but there were only a few of them.

Right in front of the trio was the Zecian Portal that led straight to the Third Outerlayer. This portal was noticeable due to its huge size. Also, it was the only portal that opened when the Second Outerlayer was cleared.

"So... we're going to fight the Frost Elves?" Claude confirmed.

He knew that one wrong move could lead to an all-out war between Vampire Tribes and Elf Tribes so he couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Yep, we need to defeat Drujinn, the current guardian of the Third Outerlayer," Albrecht responded.

"Keh~ we need to fight Drujinn? That Drujinn?" Claude muttered to himself before he shook his head.

The trio stood in front of the Zecian Portal, contemplating their life decisions.

The Zecian Portal swirled with an intense energy that bent the laws of space and time, drawing them in.

"Let's go," Albrecht called out, donning a certain robe that hugged his entire body. As soon as he put it on, it disappeared.

[Item: Robe of Comfortable Temperature (A-Rank)— A robe that is comfortable to wear, made from the skin of a Shapeshifter Crystal Snake. It can equalize any temperature, be it freezing cold or melting hot. It can only be destroyed by a direct shot of the Everflame Dragon.]

This was one of the few items Albrecht got from the Whitelock Treasury. It might not be an artifact or a relic, but it was useful for the Third Outerlayer.

As for the other two items, he was saving them for the Fourth and Sixth Outerlayer, just in case they met some unforeseen trouble there. With their current ability, Albrecht was confident that they'd be able to defeat the Frost Elves.

All they needed to do was catch them off-guard, and then it was a winning game for them.

Information in the System flooded Albrecht's brain as he thought up different alternative routes in the future. Based on all the Albrechts connected in the System, they didn't have a problem walking directly into the Zecian Portal.

That's why, Albrecht believed that they wouldn't have any problems with it either.

Since he was geared up and ready to go, Albrecht called out to Anastasia and Claude. "Brace yourselves, we're going in."

"Are you sure? We're just going to walk straight into the Zecian Portal? What if the enemies are waiting for us in ambush?" Claude asked.

It was a valid point, but Albrecht believed the information and statistics given by the System so he just laughed it off. "No, I'm sure they won't be expecting us." He said with utter confidence.

Sensing that Albrecht was overconfident about the matter, Anastasia and Claude didn't prod him any further. Instead, they followed his lead.

Fwoosh~

Albrecht felt his Zecian Aura seeping from his body as they walked into the Zecian Portal. He also felt the sudden spike in temperature, but thanks to the Robe of Comfortable Temperature, he felt snugly warm.

Stretch~

"STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" A voice boomed as soon as they entered the portal.

It was none other than Drujinn, pointing an Avalanche Frost Bow at Albrecht and the others.