After going through the portal, Maya found herself amidst a vast graveyard, illuminated by the pale glow of a full moon. Weathered tombstones littered the space, their inscriptions faded into illegible blurs.

The stench of decaying flora and stale earth grew unbearable, it was such that she felt as if they clung to her clothes. With a surge of revulsion, she turned and fled until she reached the graveyard gates.

As she burst through the rusted iron gates, a familiar sight greeted her as several notifications manifested.

[Tribute has entered Floor 3]

[Level up awarded]

[Updating status]

Tribute Name: Maya

Level: 6 >> 7

Physique: 1 >> 2

Dexterity: 4

Magic: 1

As she walked, out of curiosity, she tried to check her [Relic class status] to see if anything had changed. Maya gasped as she read through the notifications, a new paragraph had been added to the description of [Copycat]:

[If a user dies while being transformed, they will be reverted back to their original form. However, the form that the user was in will be permanently lost.]

Panicked, Maya checked her [Transformation List]

Tier 1: None

Tier 2: Shadow Knight (Penalty: Sunlight Vulnerability)

The Shapestealer bit her lip in frustration. It seemed there was no way to recover a form that had been lost. As she noted to herself to be more careful in the future, however, she decided to try and examine her Shadow Knight form to see if there was anything else that changed.

Form: Shadow Knight

Level: 14

Physique: 5

Dexterity: 5

Magic: 4

Unique Skill: Phantom Stride

There was a small silver lining at least; her Shadow Knight form gained a level since the first time she copied it. She guessed that whenever she gained a level, then her transformations would also level up. If true, then that was all the more reason to keep the best transformations possible in her arsenal.

Soon, the notifications vanished, and Maya followed a dirt path that led out of the graveyard. As she followed it forward, she eventually saw what looked like the gates to a village, shaped in a large arch in the distance.

For a moment, she was excited to see signs of civilization, but the closer she went, the more unnerved she felt. The wood on the village gates were disheveled and rotten, with strange pale insects crawling out of them. Worse still, there was a pungent smell that permeated the air. The smell was so strong that Maya nearly lurched and puked on the spot.

She tried her best to push her doubts to the back of her mind. Maya figured the village could just be falling on hard times, and that hopefully, at least the people would be kind.

Maya took cautious steps into the village, her eyes darting left and right as she walked. She paused and gasped when she saw a group of children wearing tattered rags, feasting on a rotten corpse just outside of a house.

The children soon noticed her and all turned their heads simultaneously to face her. One of them ripped out a piece of the corpse's flesh and offered it out on their hand. "Hi! Do you want some?"

Maya covered her mouth with her hands and desperately tried to resist the urge to vomit. She swallowed down the buildup in her throat, before finally shaking her head. "N-no thank you."

The children all frowned. "Aww, are you sure?"

"I'm sure!" Maya said.

"Alrighty then, just ask if you change your mind!"

Maya let out a nervous chuckle. "Y-yep, will do."

Almost immediately, the children returned to their gruesome meal. Eating away at the carcass like they had never eaten anything else in their lives before.

The Shapestealer walked at a slightly faster pace as she moved away from the children. It was still hard to breathe, but she was slowly getting herself adjusted to the pungent stench in the air.

She saw more villagers as she continued, though none seemed particularly sane. There was one man who repeatedly slammed his head against a door until blood seeped out of his forehead. A shop that was selling human organs like it was just any other type of ordinary meat. And a woman who sat on a bench, constantly biting her own fingers until they bled.

All the people in the village were clearly insane. And Maya was more than relieved when she saw another gate at the end of the village. She ran through it as fast as she could…only to end up back at the first gate she saw.

Maya looked around, disoriented and confused. She tried turning back this time, just running away from the village entirely. But after a certain point, she found herself back at the front of the village's gate.

The Shapestealer tried a few more times to leave the village. And every time, she would come back to the entrance no matter what.

Without any other choice, Maya stepped back inside the village. At least by now, she had gotten used to the disgusting smell of the place.

However, as she passed barely a few steps inside the gates, she was greeted by a well-dressed man. He wore fine tailored suit dress pants, alongside black boots and seemed to carry himself with an air of sophistication. Maya would have thought he was normal: if it weren't for the fact that his head was that of a goat's.

"Can…I help you?" Maya asked.

The man took a polite bow before answering. "Hello there Miss. My name is Jeeves, and my Master has extended an invitation to you to come to his humble abode for dinner."

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"You mean, he's inviting me to his house to eat?"

"Precisely."

"I'm uh, a pretty picky eater." Maya replied with a fake laugh. "Don't want to offend your master by refusing his food, you know?"

"You'll only offend him more by refusing his invitation; besides, our chefs are capable of creating many different types of cuisines, you'll surely enjoy your time at the Master's home." Jeeves replied.

Initially, Maya thought about trying to find another excuse to say no to Jeeves. But there was a part of her that screamed at her to just go along with him. Not out of courtesy, but out of a sense of primal fear.

After steadying herself, Maya looked Jeeves in the eye. "Alright, take me to him."

Jeeves nodded and turned around. "Just follow me."

***

Maya followed Jeeves for what felt like hours. It was almost as if the village got bigger wherever they went. She could have sworn that entire buildings, paths, and even people just sprang up out of nowhere.

But eventually, the two stopped in front of a pair of large, rusted iron gates that lead to a grand mansion. The place looked like it had been abandoned for years. With massive holes visible on its roof even from a distance. Still, it was no doubt incredibly large and imposing, despite its decrepit state.

After Jeeves opened the rusted gates, he led Maya through the front garden. As she glanced around, she couldn't help but notice how all the plants and flowers were wilted.

Finally, they reached inside the mansion. The interior, much like the exterior, seemed decrepit at best. With dusty furniture and paintings so old they began to blur.

Jeeves pointed to a flight of stairs nearby and said. "Please proceed there, the Master is waiting for you."

Maya nodded quietly and went to the stairs. Each of its steps creaked as Maya ascended to the second floor.

The moment she finished climbing the stairs, she found herself inside a large dining room. At the center of the room was a rectangular table decorated with plates and silverware. Surrounding the table were several wooden chairs. And at the far end, a grotesque looking man sat: who Maya figured must be the Master.

He was incredibly massive, so much so that he easily sat on the floor instead of any chair and was still far taller than the table. He had a gravid belly which showed his pallid, gray skin. Though it looked like he once wore a tailored suit, a good chunk of it had torn or broken away. Similar to Jeeves, the Master's head was also that of an animal, this time: a lion's.

The Master turned his head slowly towards Maya. "Welcome, dear guest, please sit down."

Maya quickly took a seat on the opposite end of the man and faked a smile. "T-thank you for inviting me, Sir."

"Haha, so it seems etiquette isn't lost after all." The Master then leaned forward slightly, his gravid belly shifting as he moved. "Tell me, traveler, are you hungry?"

Remembering what Jeeves told her earlier about refusing the Master, Maya nodded. "A little bit."

The Master laughed, causing the ground to vibrate slightly due to the sound. "No need to be too polite, I'll have Jeeves deliver us a meal right away."

He then grabbed a golden bell from the table and rang it. "Jeeves! Come here!"

Within seconds, Jeeves walked into the dining room and bowed. "You called, Master?"

"Yes, prepare me and our guest here our finest cuisines immediately!"

"As you command." Jeeves then bowed again before taking his leave.

The Master then turned his attention to Maya once more. "Now, where were we?"

Maya felt her skin crawl as his gaze fell upon her. "I …think we were just talking about food?"

"Ah, of course, pardon me for my foolishness; it's just rare for me to have guests such as yourself you see."

"Oh, how come?"

"To put it bluntly." The Master then held up a hand to his mouth, as if to whisper. "I think the other people in the village have gone mad."

"That…does sound concerning." Maya replied. She figured it was best to play along for as long as she could. Maybe she could avoid fighting anyone altogether if she just kept faking it.

The Master relaxed his hands and slumped into the floor a bit more. "It's tragic really, this village used to be filled with such bright minds."

"I can definitely see that."

"Yes, you see it don't you? Just look at Jeeves for example, the village in its current state can no longer produce men as capable as he is."

"He does seem very skilled."

"Right? And to think everyone in the village just lost their mind one night, it's all very tragic."

"What happened?"

"It's a long story and I'd rather not bore you to death with it. Besides, our food is arriving."

"Wait, but didn't Jeeves just leave-"

Maya stopped herself as she heard footsteps climbing up the stairs. Soon after, Jeeves arrived back in the dining room. But as she glanced at the butler, she was shocked to see that he now had two extra pairs of arms, each one carrying a plate full of "food".

Jeeves set five plates in front of the Master, and one plate in front of Maya. She winced as she saw that so-called meal before her. It was a rotten donkey's head, filled with maggots that were still feasting on its decaying flesh.

The butler then looked at her and said. "If you need my assistance, please do not hesitate to call me or inform the Master."

Maya nodded. "R-right, thanks."

As Jeeves left, the Shapestealer saw how the Master had already begun gorging himself on his meal. Maya closed her eyes as he kept eating, not wanting to see the disgusting food that was set in front of him, let alone him eating it.

In a matter of minutes, she heard a loud burp, and she opened her eyes to see that the plates in front of the Master had all been cleaned out. "That…was a fine meal indeed."

Maya forced herself to give a polite chuckle. "I'm uh, glad you liked it."

The Master burped, and then glanced at her still full plate. "Hm? Why haven't you finished your meal?"

"I…uh."

"You don't dislike the food, do you?"

"N-no, of course not!"

"Then why aren't you eating?"

In desperate times like this, there was one thing Maya knew best: lying. "Where I'm from, it's actually very rude for a guest to eat while their host is watching."

The Master fell silent. And for a moment, Maya thought that he was going to explode with anger for making up such an obvious lie.

But instead, he nodded his head. "I see, so that means you can only eat if I'm not looking at you?"

"Y-yes! I'm surprised you know Sir."

"Why of course. A man of my sophistication knows many things. And it's not the first time I've entertained guests such as yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"Every so often, Jeeves would find travelers like you and bring them to me. Most, however, do not seem to appreciate the kindness I award them."

"I…see."

The Master slammed one of his meaty hands onto the table. "A few months ago, I hosted a grand banquet for a group of four travelers. When they saw the food, they immediately drew their weapons and called me a monster! Can you imagine?"

Maya feigned anger in response. "N-no, of course not! How dare they?"

"I'm so glad you understand."

"So, what did you do to them?"

"I ate them, obviously. Such is the fate for those who disrespect me."

"I completely agree."

"You know, since you've been such a kind guest. You're free to explore my home as much as you'd like. In the meantime, I'll be resting in my room."

"Oh, why thank you Sir."

The Master then got up and stomped away into another room. Once he left the dining room, Maya breathed out a sigh of relief before immediately getting off her chair and standing up. She thanked her lucky stars for how well her interaction with the Master went. But she still had to figure out how to go to the next floor.

She decided to go back downstairs and see if there was anything interesting there. She looked around as she descended the stairs and saw that Jeeves wasn't around.

Still, she proceeded and explored the ground floor. Aside from it being creepy, there didn't seem to be much else that was important. That was, until she heard the sound of crying coming from below her as she walked past a chewed-out couch.

Maya knelt down and pressed her ear against the floor. She heard the crying sound, much clearer this time, it sounded like it came from a little girl.