In the following months, the town slowly rebuilt itself in the aftermath of the incident and life seemed to be returning to normal. The town had changed immensely since then, first was the newly built flower gardens that littered the town, when given the chance to destroy the fields the townsfolk were vehemently against the idea, out of fear that doing so would cause second flowering night incident.

The gardens turned into a fairly popular destination for researchers since they can observe the foreign flowers without having to go into the dungeon and tourist since they found the aroma and beauty emitted by the flowers to be calming. the people who lived through the incident beg to differ.

As for the tree’s, well they attracted a different sort of people, artist were drawn to the tree-ified plant chimeras, using it as their muse, proclaiming they could feel rage and serenity coming from the tree monsters, and other artsy stuff like that. The 4 large trees on the other hand, people took to calling them sky trees due to their height, were frequently visited by thrill seekers looking to climb the tree all the way to its peak. None have made it to the top yet.

The town had healed magnificently, even growing in size, but the people, the townsfolk, they still carried the scars inflicted on them during the conflict, many who were part of the defense group were crippled or turned into trees due to oaken flesh disease, Nikolaos’s mother was one of the many infected her entire right arm was turned to oak from shoulder to fingertip her whole arm was rendered immobile.

She could no longer hunt nor could she sew as expertly as she did before, normally anyone would drown in the muck of despair if everything they were rendered unable to use their dominate arm, but life had never been kind to her in the first place, so Nikolaos’s mother did what she did best, she gave a sigh, pulled up her sleeves and made the best of it.

Even though she had one arm and was now much slower at sewing, she never let the quality of her work drop, it was tough at first for her, unable to use her dominant arm, she worked hard at it practicing every sewing trick she had learned over the years and accommodated it for use with one hand.

But despite her hard work, it was undeniable that she was much slower, unable to do the workload she used to able to do. Right now, this wouldn’t be a problem but with the town still growing at an unprecedented rate it would not be unusual for artisans like seamstress or tailors to move in and set up shop.

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As the years passed by Nikolaos had taken what his mother had taught him to heart and went all out in his training, he became adept at sewing being able to help his mother out without fear of messing up, he annoyed the adventurers every day to teach him their techniques and every night he went out hunting now that his mother couldn’t take him he was given free reign.

Before he knew it, his body had become muscular from his daily training routine and his features had become sharper, the only thing that didn’t change about him was his height. Nikolaos had also become regarded as a leader of the kids around town, through the numerous sparring matches they challenged him to.

As the town grew it attracted more and more people. With competition on the rise, Nikolaos’s mother just couldn’t keep up with other sewing and repair stores due to her crippled right arm. Her customer base faded away until there were only a few dedicated long-time customers left. Needless to say, Nikolaos and his mother started living very frugally.

Nikolaos tried to help out around the store to lighten his mother’s workload but to little success, he just couldn’t keep up with the competition, it wasn’t to say he didn’t have any skill, but it was a matter of experience.

Money only dwindled as time passed Nikolaos and his mother were reduced to eating rodo meat as their source of protein, with his mother giving him most of her portion of meat with the excuse that she was full, things like vegetables and the like were cheap enough at the local market but with the additional cost of sewing supplies it really cut into their daily income.

It wasn’t a stretch to say that this was the bare minimum, they could go on living like this, but it was unacceptable in the eyes of Nikolaos, to him his mother was everything, she had given up so much for him, her childhood village, her health, her arm. She could’ve just left him on the roadside when he was a baby and left to make a life for herself, but she didn’t.

Nikolaos always wanted to pay back his mother for all she has given up for him, he wanted his mother to live comfortably after all she had to put up with in life. There just had to be a way for him to make some money.

He had was looking into various jobs around town, but to little success, there were no stores willing to take him on due to his lack of experience and those that did, paid barely enough for one person to live off.

He could’ve tried becoming an adventurer, not to go into a dungeon but instead, to take on jobs that people posted there, the Adventurer Association had grown bigger over time and turned into something of a job agency where anyone with a problem could request help.

It would’ve been perfect for Nikolaos if it wasn’t for the strict hierarchy at the Adventurer Association, it wasn’t something started by the Adventurer Association, but it was something that was bound to happen in any organization, the old and experienced build up influence and then abuse that power for their own gain.

In other words, the best requests and jobs were taken by veterans, leaving behind only the worst requests that nobody wanted sanitary work, chores, and pest extermination.

With no luck with finding a job, Nikolaos found himself wandering towards the town plaza, the yelling, as usual, was lively. Nikolaos now resting on a bench, found the noise relaxing sitting amidst the crowd.

In the past before the town became a trade hub he enjoyed the silence, but after the flowering night incident it made him appreciate the loud yelling. When the town was still recovering everything was quiet, it wasn’t a comforting silence, no it was a empty silence that reminded him how alone he was, it didn’t help that a good amount of people died during the incident or that his mother whom he held above all else had to stay at a first aid station for a while and couldn’t come home.

For the first time in his life, Nikolaos realized just how reliant on his mother he was, every time he came back home there was no warm greetings from his mother only the empty silence that echoed off the walls of off their home.

Nikolaos Sitting amidst all the yelling reminded him he wasn’t alone, he might’ve not known the name or lives of the people around him, but the yelling confirmed they were here, and comforted him.

Opening his eye’s and getting up from the bench Nikolaos was about to leave the plaza to continue his job hunt a messenger road down the main street and stopped at the plaza.

“ATTENTION!” he called out silencing the everyone.

“For the first time in many years a new mana dungeon has been born!” he pauses to let this new piece of information sink in.

A cacophony of murmurs sounds out as the crowd of people are taken aback by the announcement of a new dungeon, but this doesn’t last long as the messenger continues silencing the crowd once more.

“This new Mana dungeon is located in the heart of blood plains!” this time the messenger gets cut off as the people clamored, as concerns were raised about the location of this new dungeon.

The blood plains, a cursed place steeped in blood due to the previous war, a place where the bloodiest conflicts in the war had were waged, to the point earth itself is dyed in blood and rumors have it the dead roam still fighting their war oblivious of the passage of time.

The messenger not taking time for the crowd to settle down follows with pieces of information to silence peoples concerns about the dungeon’s location.

“Currently the adventurers Association is giving priority to those looking to become adventurers. There will be things such as a cut in price to get an adventurer’s license, free training and exclusive use of the dungeon for a limited time!”

By now the crowd was in an uproar, rumors and blood be damned, a new dungeon had opened up which meant things were about to change in the world again new resources, new items, new professions, and more job opportunities.

While the crowd chattered away Nikolaos made his way back home.

“welcome home.” His mother said as she is sewing a piece of torn clothing.

“no luck finding work today either.” it was a slight lie Nikolaos knew that he could always go to that new dungeon to find some work, but he really didn’t want to leave mother alone either.

“Hush now both me and you know that a dungeon just opened up, you can go if want.” Nikolaos mother stared him right in the eyes as she sewed, never once missing a beat or accidentally pricking herself.

“But mother, how did you?” was the only reply Nikolaos could give.

“How did I know? That damned man was so loud I could even hear it from here.” She put down the piece of equipment that she was sewing she was now completely focused on Nikolaos.

“It’s okay I’m sure that there some work floating around town I can do.” He tried to avert his gaze from his mothers.

“enough excuses Nikolaos!” his mother got off her seat and grabbed his chin with her one good hand forcing her to look her right in the eye.

“do you think your mother is the type of woman that constantly need someone to look after her.” Her grip was like that of an eagle, no matter how much Nikolaos wiggled he just couldn’t get free.

“but.” Was the only word he could squeeze out as his mother still had him in her iron grip.

“no buts Nikolaos, don’t let me keep you here, I can take care of myself just fine.” She lightens her grip letting Nikolaos’s face free.

“don’t let me chain you down.” She says going back to sewing.

For the rest of the day Nikolaos locked himself in his room, he had a decision to make one that woukd decide how he would live his life.