As she cautiously approached the man, Maya pulled out her dagger and held it in front of her. She had no plans on dying again so soon after she got revived.

The old man let out a raspy chuckle at the sight. "Relax, I can't do anything to you from here."

Despite his reassurance, Maya continued to walk slowly with her dagger still drawn. "We can talk while I hold my dagger."

The old man sighed, "Fine, my name's Fritz. What's yours, kid?"

"Maya." She stopped walking, now cautiously eyeing Fritz, just in case.

"If you're here, that probably means you ran away from the Centaur, didn't you?" Fritz asked.

"How did you know?" Maya asked.

"I was a tribute like you, and just like you, I decided that running away from that horse abomination was a better idea than dying."

"Wait, so how did you end up like this?"

"I fell into some kind of pitfall trap."

"Yeah, that's how I got here too. And then?"

"And eventually I found this place. Didn't like it here, so I tried to find a way out. I went to that corridor over there on the far right," Fritz pointed vaguely with his free hand.

Maya glanced around and did see a cavernous corridor, though she couldn't see what was at the edge. "That one?"

"Yeah, that one. Things were going fine as I passed through it, and suddenly, before I knew it: I was like this."

"So, is there a way out that's not through that corridor?"

"Don't think so. Unless you think you can dig through some of the people here or the ground, I think that's the only way out," Fritz replied.

"Sorry, but I don't want to end up like…well, like you," Maya said, gesturing towards Fritz with a wave of her hand.

"I do look kind of sad like this, don't I?"

"Yeah.., but anyway, what did you do before you got summoned into the tower?"

"I might not look like it, but I was a halfway decent wizard. Nothing too special, but I managed to go through the previous three floors pretty smoothly."

"And then the Centaur happened."

"Yeah, I tried to fight it at first until I realized that I wasn't actually doing anything to it. That thing could regenerate."

"I wouldn't know, you know, since I didn't fight it," Maya admitted, shrugging slightly.

"Sorry. My mind's a bit of a mess considering-"

"No, it's fine. I mean, I'm surprised you can still talk since you're, you know," Maya said, gesturing towards his condition.

"Oh yeah, I know. I found that surprising too. All the other people I saw here, they're either quiet or they're screaming and groaning," Fritz said.

"So you never met someone that was like you in this place?"

"No, I don't think I've been here for that long yet."

"So, how long have you been here?"

"Not sure. Couple of days, weeks, months maybe. Hopefully not years, but I honestly can't tell anymore."

"And what about the other people here? Did they also try to run through the corridor and end up like you?"

"Not sure but every so often I'd see some people being sucked in completely into the walls. And then a few minutes or hours later, another one would pop out," Fritz explained.

"OK, this is a lot to take in," Maya said, taking a deep breath.

"How about you, kid? What's your story?"

"I lived on the streets. Then I got called into the tower."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, that's about it."

"Yet you're here still. Standing and fine. Life is unfair," Fritz said, shaking his head.

"You know you're not wrong, but anyway, I think I should get going. Don't really want to stay here for any longer," Maya said, starting to turn away.

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"Hey, kid. Before you go, can you do me a favor?" Fritz called out.

"Depends," Maya replied, partially turning back towards him.

"Can you lend me that dagger of yours?" Fritz asked, his eyes locking onto the weapon.

"What? No." Maya replied, tightening her grip on her dagger.

"Just for a moment, please, so I can end my misery."

"No, thanks. This dagger is really important to me. I'll get going now."

Fritz's demeanor changed drastically at Maya's refusal. His face twisted into an expression of sheer anger, and he began to flail his arms around, "Get back here and give me the damn dagger!"

Seeing this, Maya immediately turned on her heel and sprinted towards the corridor, her heart pounding in her chest as she put as much distance between herself and Fritz as possible.

Eventually, she reached the end. Panting, she looked around, searching for anything that might help her, but all she could see were walls entangled with thick roots.

After catching her breath, Maya accidentally kicked one of the roots on the ground. This caused the nearby roots to begin to elongate and quickly wrap around her. One of the roots tightened around her throat, threatening to choke her.

The Shapestealer struggled desperately, her fingers clawing at the roots in an attempt to free herself. She tried to move her dagger and cut through the roots, but her hands were tied too tightly.

And then, Maya saw several notifications appearing in front of her:

[Analyzing Tribute]

[Relic Class User Detected]

[Assimilation Sequence Disabled]

[Alternative Passage Granted]

In the next moment, as suddenly as they had attacked, the roots receded back into the walls, releasing their grip on her. Maya gasped for air, her lungs burning as she inhaled deeply.

Once she pulled herself together, Maya got up and saw that the dead-end before her had transformed. Where there had once been a solid wall now stood a familiar white portal.

[Congratulations, you may now access the next floor]

***

After stepping through the portal, Maya immediately felt a cool mist enveloped her feet. It swirled around her, obscuring her immediate surroundings until, gradually, her vision began to clear.

[Tribute has entered Floor 5]

[Level up awarded]

[Updating status]

Tribute Name: Maya

Level: 8 >> 9

Physique: 3

Dexterity: 4 >> 5

Magic: 1

As the mist cleared slightly, Maya found herself standing in the remnants of what was once likely a bustling city. The sky was cloudy and colored in shades of gray. Most of the buildings looked abandoned with many having broken down doors or shattered windows.

Looking around a bit more, Maya figured that she was in some kind of city square. The benches there were surprisingly intact, though she couldn't say the same for the headless statue that stood in the middle. Regardless, there wasn't much to do there, and so Maya began her exploration to the rest of the city.

While walking, she heard the sound of distant fighting. The sound of steel clashing and shouting cut through the foggy quiet, drawing Maya towards it. She quickened her pace immediately.

As she neared the source of the commotion, the outlines of figures emerged from the mist: a trio of adventurers, clad in black gear, desperately fighting against a horde of undead.

As Maya prepared to join the fray, she paused after noticing that the group were actually managing to handle the undead just fine. The adventurer wielding a crossbow stood back and fired while the two swordsmen cut down any of the undead that came too close.

It didn't take long for the last of the undead to be dispatched. A momentary silence fell over the area, broken only by the heavy breathing of the fighters and the sounds of decaying bodies hitting the ground.

Stepping out of the mist, Maya called out, "Hello?"

The adventurers quickly turned toward the source of the voice. The crossbow wielder, a woman with keen eyes, aimed her weapon directly at Maya. "Who are you?"

Maya raised both of her hands. "I'm Maya, an adventurer."

Seeing that the Shapestealer was unarmed, the woman with the crossbow lowered her weapon. "So are we."

"Did all of you come from outside the Tower too?"

"Yeah, we entered about a month ago. It took us a long time to figure out a way to beat the fat bastard on the 3rd floor."

"Huh, I didn't know more than one person could enter the Tower at the same time."

One of the swordsmen then spoke up. "It's common knowledge kid; did you live under a rock?"

Maya shrugged. "In a way."

The woman with the crossbow laughed. "Listen kid, it's not safe here, so you best get out while you can."

"That's the thing…I wanted to ask if I could join you three?"

Upon hearing Maya's request to join them, the three adventurers exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Maya couldn't hide the irritation in her voice, her eyebrows knitting together in frustration.

One of the swordsmen, still chuckling, managed to compose himself enough to reply, "We're gonna have to pass on being babysitters."

Maya crossed her arms. "You know that if I made it here, that means I beat the Floor Guardian on the floor below, right?"

The woman with the crossbow, eyed Maya up and down. "No offense, but you don't look like a fighter."

"I can use magic."

"Oh? Show us."

As Maya was about to transform, a series of high-pitched screeches pierced the air. The sudden cacophony was so intense that Maya and the adventurers were forced to clutch at their ears.

One of the swordsmen shouted over the noise, "We need to go."

"Go where?" Maya tried to ask. But her question fell on deaf ears as the adventurers quickly regrouped and dashed into the thickening mist, leaving her behind.

Immediately after, Maya made a split-second decision. She bit her lip in frustration and darted into a nearby alleyway.

As Maya leaned back against the wall, trying to catch her breath and gather her thoughts, she felt something unexpected brush against her leg. Looking down, she discovered a black cat nuzzling her right leg affectionately.

A smile broke across the Shapestealer's face. She leaned down and extended a hand towards the cat. To her delight, the cat seemed more than happy to oblige, leaning into her touch with a gentle purr.

But suddenly, Maya felt a sudden shiver run up her spine. It was followed by the sensation of several figures passing high above. Their shadows darted forward incredibly fast.

Just as Maya was about to crane her neck upwards, to catch a glimpse of whatever was flying past her, she felt the cat quickly scuttle underneath her.

Once the sense of immediate danger seemed to pass, Maya sat down against the cold, damp wall of the alley, her legs folded in front of her. The black cat then climbed onto her lap.

Maya took some time to play with the cat, her fingers gently teasing and stroking its soft fur, drawing purrs of contentment from the small creature. But suddenly, the cat hopped off her lap and darted into the mist.

Maya chuckled and called out, "Hey, wait!" She then quickly stood and began to run.

Maya followed the cat through the mist, navigating the streets of the mist-filled city. She turned corners and followed winding paths, the cat always just a few paces ahead.