Take off your underwear

"Alright, hand it over!" 

Urbato, born of noble blood, wore a face that shifted between anger and hesitation. After gritting his teeth, he reluctantly extended his fingers to take the dirty, yellowed sheets of paper. The mere thought of Allen using the precious cultivation method to wipe himself sent a surge of murderous intent coursing through his veins. Glancing at the stained marks on the paper, he couldn't suppress his disgust.

Urbato had finally made up his mind, but just as he was about to grab the papers, Allen suddenly retracted his hand. 

"Lord Urbato, these papers are just my spare ones. If I give them to you, what will I do next time when my stomach aches again?" 

"I'll buy them with contribution points—one hundred, no, one thousand! That should be enough, right?" Urbato, holding back his fury, unfastened the demon-hunting card from his wrist. Had it not been for the need to maintain his dignity in front of the other female mages, he would have gladly smashed the card into Allen's face. Contribution points were the one thing he had in abundance.

Though the Sunset Wasteland was rich in resources, its harsh environment forced people to rely on settlements and fortresses for survival. Here, the currency was not the crystal coins from beyond the wasteland, but the unique contribution points. Hunting monsters, protecting trade caravans, or selling herbs earned people contribution points from the Battle Spirit Hall of settlements and fortresses, which could be exchanged for daily supplies or weapons and armor.

"I'm sorry, contribution points aren't of much use here. They can't buy anything, let alone be used for... that purpose!" Seeing Urbato, who was rich in contribution points, Allen shook his head, foolishly continuing, "Lord Urbato, how about you trade something else, like a handkerchief or clothes?"

Trade clothes? 

Urbato looked at Allen as if he were a complete fool, then burst into laughter. He wouldn't even take a thousand contribution points, yet here was Allen suggesting trading them for a few worn-out garments. Laughing, he began stripping off his battle armor and outer robes, tossing them toward Allen.

"The armor is useless; I don't need that. The outer robe is quite nice, but one isn't enough!" Allen, like a simpleton, tossed the priceless battle armor aside, his gaze fixed on Urbato's undergarments. With a face that seemed to be feigning forgetfulness, he secretly chuckled inwardly.

"Fine, take it!" Urbato gave Allen a disdainful look, swiftly removing his undergarments and tossing them in front of him. He stood proudly in nothing but lacy shorts, showcasing his well-built muscles, which drew the gaze of several female mages who quickly averted their eyes.

"I want those too!" Allen pointed at Urbato's lacy shorts, his face full of innocent charm.

"You..."

At hearing Allen's ridiculous request, Urbato's laughter abruptly ceased. His face turned scarlet with rage, and he almost drew his sword to split Allen in two. Removing his undergarments wasn't too bad—he could even flaunt his muscles in front of the beautiful female mages, but to remove his shorts? Where could he hide his shame?

"Allen, enough, you have enough clothes already. Let's leave it at that!" Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Ophelia stepped in to mediate.

"Teacher Ophelia, you can take yours off too!" 

Allen faced Ophelia's tall, graceful figure, his words straightforward and sincere, making her blush deeply. After some pleading and negotiating, Allen, who appeared to be acting like a fool due to his amnesia, finally relented. When he received the yellowed papers from Allen's hands, Urbato breathed a sigh of relief, genuinely happy.

The cultivation method handed down by the ancient gods was invaluable, even in its fragmented form. To acquire it with just a few pieces of old clothing was a stroke of fortune beyond measure.

"Fool, absolute fool!"

Seeing Allen pile up the discarded garments, Urbato cast a contemptuous glance at him, laughing heartily.

"Allen, what do you need these clothes for?" Ophelia shook her head, a quiet sigh escaping her lips. To see a once-promising missionary reduced to such a state was heartbreaking.

"You'll find out soon enough!" Allen looked up at the sliver of sunlight filtering through the skylight, pulled out a flint stone, and lit the clothes under his feet. "Every day after this hour, a cold, eerie wind sweeps through the castle. What use are contribution points when you could trade them for some clothes to keep warm?"

With an innocent face, Allen nonchalantly swirled his dark magic pen in the air, writing the word 'ICE' in the void, secretly activating the castle's ice array. In an instant, a chilling wind blew through the hall, seeping deep into everyone's bodies and souls.

Suddenly, frost covered everyone's skin, causing them to shiver. Urbato, wearing nothing but lacy shorts, suffered the worst. Before he could react, he nearly turned into an ice block. The freezing cold penetrated his veins and bones, his limbs stiffening as though his blood had frozen solid.

"Cold… so… cold!"

Urbato shuddered, struggling with all his might to reach the burning clothes. With his last ounce of energy, he managed to grab a few charred scraps. Desperate, he put on a piece of battle armor, hoping to warm up. However, the armor itself was icy, and in the swirling cold, it felt like wearing a block of ice. It did nothing to help, and his body grew even colder.

"Strange, why is it suddenly so cold? Could there be a treasure buried beneath?" A female mage shivered and tightened her clothes, scanning the area for any hidden treasures. Ophelia and the others joined her, their eyes filled with confusion as they surveyed the grand hall.

Seeing them like this, Allen shook his head. They were nothing but novices, still thinking about treasure hunting at a time like this. He hurriedly urged, "Hurry, you must leave! Every day after the cold winds, a horde of undead will appear in the castle. I've been here long enough, and the lower-tier undead have gotten used to my presence—they won't harm me unless ordered by a lich. But you're different. If you don't leave now, it'll be too late."

As he spoke, Allen gave the signal for the lich army to mobilize. Soon, a tide of skeleton soldiers poured out from the depths of the castle. With a collective scream, the female mages, who had been hoping to find treasure, scrambled to flee, running faster than frightened rabbits.

"You fool, why didn't you say so earlier?" 

Seeing the wave of skeletons coming, Urbato, his limbs frozen stiff, was frantic. He didn't even care about the priceless black-engraved heavy sword. Terrified, he fled as fast as he could. But as he turned, a group of zombie warriors drew near, and his heart nearly leaped out of his chest. He barely escaped the hall, only to be struck with a sharp, searing pain in his backside—a skeleton arrow had nearly pierced him. Howling in pain, he clutched his wound and ran for his life.

Under Allen's command, Isu calmly fired a sharp skeleton arrow.

"Novices, always novices!"

Watching Urbato limp away, clutching his rear, Allen smiled. He had intended to call off the army and focus on his own training, but just then, a burst of fire erupted outside the hall. Ophelia, who had barely escaped, came charging back on her own.

"Allen, come, we're leaving together!" Ophelia's long hair swirled as she summoned walls of flame to block the approaching skeletons, rushing toward Allen like a gust of wind.

"Teacher Ophelia, I'm a cripple now. I can't even move. Even without the undead blocking me, I wouldn't make it out of this canyon. You should go, quickly, and never come back!" Allen shook his head.

"As a white-robed priestess, Ophelia will never leave a devoted missionary trapped here. Allen, I'll carry you!" 

Without hesitation, Ophelia squatted down, disregarding Allen's apparent frailty, and lifted him onto her back, striding toward the exit. Muttering incantations, radiant light exploded from her, and the approaching skeletons were immediately engulfed in black smoke.

Holy Light Purification!

At this critical moment, Ophelia used a high-level divine magic spell, cutting through the skeletons like a blade. Under Allen's orders, the lich army made no move to stop her, allowing her to charge through unhindered.

"Teacher Ophelia, put me down!" Allen protested, but secretly pressed himself closer to her back, his eyes locked on her slender neck.

Compared to the three younger female mages, Ophelia's mature, alluring figure was all the more striking. Beneath her flowing robes was fair, smooth skin, with incredible elasticity, exuding the intoxicating fragrance of a maiden. Allen, still pretending to hesitate, had a sudden thought as he felt her warmth.

Since he was already seen as a devout missionary, why not take this opportunity to walk around outside? With the surrounding forces cleared, the lich fortress would remain safe for a time, offering the perfect chance to explore the outside world. Perhaps, in doing so, he might even gain further insights into the essence of magic, breaking through the barriers in his cultivation.

"No, we're leaving together. Even if we die, I'll take you to the Holy Maiden

's Monastery in Wuhai Town!" Ophelia panted, carrying Allen as she cut through the undead forces and caught up with Urbato's frantic escape.

The Holy Maiden's Monastery?

Allen was taken aback, quickly understanding Ophelia's identity.

The Holy Maiden's Monastery was a place where the divine court trained holy maidens—young, pure nuns in abundance. No wonder the female mages were so beautiful, he realized. 

The thought of future holy maidens, pure and noble, kneeling before him like innocent lambs, made Allen's heart race. He grinned wickedly. The Sunset Wasteland was a harsh place, where the strong ruled and ordinary people struggled. But for him, the lich king who ruled a vast fortress and commanded an army of undead, it was the perfect environment.

"Is this... too evil?" 

Allen grinned, inhaling the sweet scent of Ophelia's neck. With the soul imprint of Ovessis, the lich king, now part of him, he felt his nature subtly shifting. Sometimes, it seemed as if his old life had been nothing more than a dream, and he was growing more attuned to the identity of the lich king.