Chapter 79: Chapter 79: Dark Mana Fountain

His remaining gold coins dropped immediately.

But Aiden didn’t look bothered.

The moment the purchase was completed, the screen in front of him suddenly changed.

The blueprint dissolved into particles of light.

Then something new appeared.

A holographic model of the entire town floated in front of him.

Aiden blinked.

The model hovered in the air above the floor like a miniature world. Every street, every building, and even the outer walls of the town were clearly visible in perfect detail.

Small ghostly lights represented the undead citizens wandering through the streets.

“…That’s actually impressive,” Aiden muttered.

He stood up from the chair and walked closer.

The town model slowly rotated in the air, giving him a full view from every angle.

A new message appeared beside it.

Place Structure: Dark Mana Fountain

Aiden raised his hand and gently touched the holographic town.

The moment his finger made contact, the model zoomed in automatically toward the center of town, the plaza where the battle with the Dustwind clan had taken place earlier.

“That’s probably the best spot,” he said quietly.

The plaza was the center of everything.

If the fountain was built there, the dark mana would spread evenly across the entire town.

Aiden moved his finger slightly and positioned the glowing blueprint marker directly in the middle of the plaza.

Right where the old stone fountain used to stand.

“Perfect.”

He tapped the location.

Structure Placement Confirmed.

The holographic model flickered once.

Then the blueprint light sank into the center of the town model.

At the same time, far below in the real world, in the middle of the dark plaza.

The ground suddenly trembled.

At first, it was only a faint vibration, like distant thunder beneath the earth.

Then the stone pavement suddenly cracked.

CRACK.

Long fractures spread across the old plaza floor where the previous fountain once stood. Dust rose into the air as chunks of stone slowly lifted and shifted, as if invisible hands were tearing the ground apart.

Several undead citizens nearby stopped what they were doing.

A skeleton carrying a broken broom turned its skull toward the plaza.

A group of zombie townspeople froze in place, staring at the trembling ground.

Even the wraith maids floating through the streets slowly drifted closer, their ghostly forms glowing faintly in the night.

Then the earth split open.

A circular platform of black stone slowly rose from beneath the ground, pushing aside the cracked pavement. The stone was dark and smooth, covered in strange runic patterns that pulsed with dim purple light.

The platform continued rising until it stood several feet above the plaza.

More pieces followed.

Tall pillars of obsidian-like stone slowly assembled themselves around the circular base, sliding perfectly into place like parts of an ancient mechanism.

The air began to grow colder.

Then, from the center of the structure, a thin stream of dark energy burst upward like a fountain of shadow.

It spiraled into the sky before slowly flowing back down, spreading like mist around the plaza.

The Dark Mana Fountain had formed.

The runes carved along its surface began to glow brighter, sending gentle pulses of dark energy through the surrounding air.

The moment the energy spread through the town, something changed.

The undead felt it immediately.

A zombie standing nearby suddenly let out a slow breath, its stiff shoulders relaxing.

“Ah…”

Another zombie touched his chest, surprised.

“This feeling…”

A skeleton tilted its skull slightly, the blue flame inside its eye sockets flickering brighter.

Even the wraiths floating above the ground let out quiet whispers.

“The air feels… comfortable.”

The dark mana spreading from the fountain wasn’t painful or oppressive.

To the living, it would have felt heavy and suffocating.

But to the undead…

It felt warm.

Like standing in sunlight after a long winter.

More undead slowly gathered around the plaza, staring at the newly formed structure with awe.

One of the zombies looked toward the villa in the distance and said quietly,

“This must be our lord’s doing…”

Another nodded slowly.

“Our lord has blessed the town…”

The whispers spread through the crowd.

“Praise the lord…”

“Our lord protects us…”

Meanwhile, inside the villa, Aiden watched everything through the holographic map floating in front of him.

He could see the dark energy spreading across the entire town like a slow-moving tide.

The moment it reached the edges of the walls, it settled into a steady flow.

The entire territory was now filled with dark mana.

Aiden stood near the window of his bedroom, looking out toward the town below. From this height, he could see the plaza clearly.

The Dark Mana Fountain stood proudly in the center, dark energy slowly flowing upward like smoke before spreading across the town. Even from this distance, he could feel the change in the air.

The entire territory was now soaked in dark mana.

Aiden raised his hand slightly.

“Let’s test it properly,” he muttered.

Black mist immediately began to gather around him.

One after another, his undead appeared.

First came the nineteen basic-grade skeletons. They formed quickly out of swirling darkness, shields and swords already in their hands. Their bones clattered softly as they stepped into formation inside the room and the hallway outside.

Then the stronger ones followed.

The bronze-grade undead, all of them body tempering practitioners.

Their bodies formed out of thicker clouds of dark energy. Unlike the skeleton soldiers, these undead looked far more imposing. Their movements were heavier, more solid, and the faint aura around them made it clear they were far stronger.

Vayne appeared among them, standing silently with his sword in hand.

Bone Fist followed, his cracked knuckles tightening slightly.

Skullbreaker stood beside him like a silent executioner.

Soon the entire room and hallway were filled with undead.

Aiden calmly watched the last one finish forming.

Then he checked his mana.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“…It’s not dropping.”

Normally, summoning this many undead would have drained a noticeable portion of his mana. Maintaining them all at once should have slowly eaten away at his reserves.

But now?

His mana barely moved.

The Dark Mana Fountain was constantly feeding dark energy into the town, reducing the burden almost completely.

Aiden let out a low chuckle.

“So it really works.”

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