"What is this place?" Chris asked, looking at the building Beth had dragged him to with a skeptical look.

"It's a tailor. How else are you going to get a suit?" Beth asked, giving him a weird look.

"Uh… a clothing store? You get a jacket, dress shirt, dress pants, a belt and a tie, and bam, you have a suit." Chris retorted. "This… this just looks expensive."

"You cannot wear something like that to this party! They'd tear you apart!" Beth exclaimed, her eyes widening. "You need a tailored suit. Don't worry though, I'll pay."

"No, no, no. If it's my suit, I'll pay. I do have money, you know." Chris protested. "I just don't see why I need an expensive suit."

"It's a status thing." Beth sighed. "I know it's dumb, but it's how these people work, and I don't want them to look down on you for something so stupid."

"That seems like more of a them problem. Why should I care what they think?" Chris raised an eyebrow at her.

Beth grinned. "Love the attitude, but unfortunately, if you get on these people's bad side, they can make your life difficult. You don't want your life to be difficult, do you?"

"I suppose not… fine, let's get me a tailored suit." Chris sighed, heading into the tailor's shop with Beth. "What's the deal with this party, anyway? I thought it was just a celebration for the Trial being over."

Beth sighed. "It is, but like any event the upper crust throws, it's going to be an opportunity to network as well. All the influential figures in the City will be there. The heads of the military branches and their staff, government officials like the Mayor, prominent businessmen, celebrities, scientists, and, of course, the Families."

Chris frowned. "The more you talk about this thing, the more I think I shouldn't be there."

"No, that's why I need you to be there! All these people suck! I need at least someone I enjoy hanging out with to be there." Beth retorted.

"Oh, and here I thought you wanted me there as arm candy." Chris shot back with a smirk.

"That's just a side benefit." Beth winked at him, before walking up to the counter and ringing the bell.

A man stepped out from a back room, looking the two of them over as he walked up to the counter. "Yes? How may I help you?"

"Hello, I'm here to commission a tailored suit for my friend here." Beth explained, gesturing to Chris.

The man turned to Chris, and his eyes began to glow, scanning Chris up and down. "Well, well, well, what a fine frame you have there! Did you have a specific color in mind?" He asked, turning to Beth.

"Could you do something in blue?" Beth asked.

"I also wouldn't mind green." Chris added.

"Chris, green is a terrible color for a suit." Beth countered.

"But I like green…" Chris muttered.

The tailor considered Chris for a moment. "She's right, green wouldn't work for you. However, a dark blue suit, along with a green dress shirt? That could look nice. What do you think?" He asked, turning to Beth again.

Beth frowned, considering Chris. "What color would the tie be?"

"Either black or red, I'd say." The tailor replied.

"Ooh, I like red! Let's do it!" Beth clapped cheerfully. Beth and the tailor then began to walk around the shop, picking out the specific pieces that would be tailored to fit Chris, eventually putting together all the pieces for a nice dark blue suit for Chris.

"Just give me a few hours, and it'll all be ready." The tailor assured them with a smile, before taking the clothes into the back room.

Chris frowned as they walked out. "That's it? Doesn't he need to take my measurements or something?"

Beth shook her head. "Nope. That's why this guy is so good. He has an ability that lets him scan people with his eyes and get their measurements that way. It also ensures that all his adjustments are perfect. Best tailor in the City." She explained. They continued to walk randomly for a bit, before she looked over at him. "So… what do you want to do while we wait?"

Chris shrugged. "Up to you. I'm down for anything really. Hell, I put some furniture in my world, so we could even hang out in there if you'd like."

Beth's eyes widened. "You did? I want to see! Come on, show me!"

Chris chuckled, shaking his head as he opened a portal and they walked in. "See, it's like a mini apartment in here."

"If you can call an infinite amount of space mini." Beth scoffed as she jumped on Chris's new couch.

"Hey, we don't know it's infinite. We just know it's really, really big." Chris corrected her.

"Close enough." Beth rolled her eyes. "Still, this is so cool! It's like you're bringing your home with you everywhere you go!"

"Yeah, well, you did give me the idea. If we can make an entire military base in here, why not make a little home? Though I will say, it could use some walls…" Chris muttered, looking around at where he'd like walls to be, so that it didn't feel so open, when suddenly, the ground rose turning into the walls he'd envisioned. "Uh… yeah, like that." Chris muttered numbly, his eyes widening in shock.

"Wow! How'd you do that!?!" Beth asked excitedly, looking at the new walls surrounding them in wonder.

"I-I'm not sure. I just… thought there should be walls, and then… Woosh, there were walls! Though that one could use a- yup, a door. Good job." Chris paused as a door appeared leading to the room where his bed was. "Also a roof. Good." He looked up as a roof appeared over them. "Wait… windows. There, there, and there… can you do gla- hmmm." Chris walked over to the new windows, placing a hand on the barrier. It wasn't glass, but it was transparent, which was nice. It seemed all of this was made out of the same material as the ground, or rather, a lack of material. It was just a barrier, with no texture or anything. Even knocking on it wouldn't produce a sound. All it provided was a counter force.

"Duuuude." Beth's eyes widened in wonder as she watched Chris manipulate the world around him like a god. "That is so cool! What else can you do? Can you make a TV? Can you make a car!?! Oh, it'd be so cool to drive a car around this place! So much room to just go! Oh, no, a motorcycle! It'd fit through the portal and you could make ramps and stuff for us to go off! We wouldn't even need to worry about getting injured! Though maybe a dirt bike would be better for that…" Beth paused, thinking about something. "You know, if you rented this place out for extreme sports training, you could make a lot of money. Or really any kind of dangerous training. Or duels!"

Chris raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh really? Do you think that'd be better than joining the Scouts?" He asked, grinning slightly.

Beth flushed. "Uh… forget I said anything."

"No, no, I think you were really on to something there! Rent out my world so people can do whatever they want without being afraid of dying! Brilliant! Imagine the applications!" Chris continued, his grin widening.

"Chriiis!" Beth whined, looking at him with a pitiful gaze. "If you don't join the Scouts, what will I do if I get hurt?" She pouted, grabbing his arm and batting her eyelashes at him.

Chris snorted. "With all the money I'll make, I could just pay a heal- ow!" Chris jumped as Beth pinched his side, hard. "Fine, fine! I'll stick with the Scouts!"

"Good!" Beth grinned proudly, hugging his arm and resting her head on his shoulder.

Chris spent the next few hours messing with the Immortal World, seeing what he could do with it. As it turned out, he could pretty much make anything out of the strange substance which seemed to be the only thing that naturally existed in this world. The only restriction was the natural properties of the material, which was its rigidity. He couldn't make anything flexible, like a whip, or soft like a pillow, but he could make a chain or a sword, which would have been nice to know when he needed to kill things earlier. Additionally, he could manipulate the material on a grand scale, making mountains and valleys across the Immortal World.

Another property was that none of these creations had any weight to them. As long as he didn't attach them to the ground, even the largest mountain could be lifted with a single hand. However, once it was connected to the ground, it was completely immovable. It probably had something to do with the fact that everything he made was completely unbreakable. Even a fragile looking twig wouldn't even bend with two people jumping on either end.

The final, and most aggravating, thing he learned was that all this was only in the Immortal World. Even if he brought his creations out, they'd simply disappear, as if they never existed in the first place. "Fuck!" Chris cursed in frustration. "What's the point of even being able to do all that in the first place if I can't actually use it!"

"Hey, it's not all bad! Think about it. If you can get them in there, you're pretty much invincible!" Beth patted him on the shoulder, attempting to comfort him.

"Yes, but even if I get them in there, they can't die! Best case scenario, I just trap them somewhere… which, yeah, actually might work pretty well. Thanks." Chris gave Beth a small smile in gratitude.

"No problem." Beth smiled brightly. "It's just like my dad always says. You gotta focus on what you can do, and ignore what you can't, because anything you can't do isn't real, and focusing on it is indulging in fantasy."

"That's a very practical piece of advice." Chris nodded appreciatively.

"My dad is a very practical man." Beth replied with a grin.

Since it was about time to pick up the suit, they left the Immortal World and headed back to the tailor's. "Ah, just in time!" The tailor announced as they walked back in. "Come, come, try it on!" He waved Chris towards the back, where the changing rooms were.

Chris glanced at Beth, who nodded excitedly, nudging him forward, before sighing and trudging back to the changing room. He took the freshly tailored suit and stepped inside, carefully putting it all on. The process went smoothly, until he got to the tie. Stepped out of the changing room, he looked at Beth helplessly. "I forgot how to tie a tie." He sighed.

Beth giggled and the tailor chuckled, pulling out a sheet showing the directions for several types of tie knots he could attempt. "Here, you can keep this."

"Uh, thank you." Chris thanked him politely, before copying the first method to tie a simple knot, adjusting it a few times, before looking up and spreading his arms in presentation. "Well? What do you think?"

"Okay, first, when you wear a suit, only button your top button." Beth pointed out.

Chris frowned, looking down. "But there are two buttons."

"Yes, but you only use the top." Beth replied.

Chris's frown deepened. "Why?"

Beth shrugged. "It's just the way you do it. Oh, and always unbutton before you sit down."

Chris looked down at the button again, before looking back up. "This is already too many rules for buttons."

"Don't worry, that's really all you need to know." Beth responded, looking him up and down again. "You look good."

"Of course he looks good!" The tailor exclaimed. "My suits always look good!"

Beth smiled. "Yes, thank you. How much do we owe you?"

The tailor went to the desk, doing some calculations, before coming to a total. "A little over a thousand, so we'll just call it a thousand dollars even. Call it a first time discount." The tailor grinned while Chris's eyes widened. A thousand dollars for a suit?!? He could afford it, but damn! He didn't realize this kind of thing was this expensive.

"Uh, let me just grab my wallet." Chris replied, heading back into the dressing room to fish his wallet out of his pants.

"Chris, are you sure? I can definitely pay for this, no problem." Beth asked him with a concerned expression.

"Nah, I'll pay. I have my stipend, remember? Without any expenses, I've built up quite a bit of money." Chris explained. "Buying a suit won't even make a dent in it. I was just surprised. I didn't think suits were this expensive." Chris quickly paid the tailor, before heading back to the changing room to get back into his regular clothes, stashing the suit in the standing dresser he'd bought before. "So, do you want to get something to eat before you head back home?" Chris asked as they left.

"Sure! What do you want to get?" Beth replied.

Chris thought about it. "Pizza?" He suggested.

"I could do pizza." Beth nodded, pulling out her phone to look at nearby restaurants. Neither of them were really familiar with the area, so they found the restaurant with the best reviews and headed there. "So, Chris, about your ability…" Beth began as they sat down.

"Yeah?" Chris raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to continue.

"I don't know. It's just… every time I see you, there seems to be something new you can do with it. It makes me wonder where your limits are." Beth explained, giving him a weird look.

Chris shrugged. "Who knows? I mean, so far, figuring anything out has just been a matter of luck… well, except the whole immortality thing. That was kind of inevitable. Other than that, everything else has been more of a coincidence than anything, and I don't know how to actually figure anything out, besides trial and error."

Beth sighed. "You're just so… so… lucky!"

Chris froze. "Eh?"

"My ability is so boring! I just stretch! Yeah, it's strong, but it's so basic! Your ability is much cooler." Beth complained.

"Yeah, if you can call the constant 'oh, hey, that would have been useful to know earlier' cool. Not knowing how my ability really works sucks sometimes. I always feel like everything I know I can do is just at the fringe of my real capabilities. Like, there's something I could do, but how? Like, why do I get stronger the more I die? What's up with that? What's causing that? Can I use it? I don't know!" Chris retorted in a frustrated tone.

Beth's eyes widened. "You get stronger the more you die?!?" She asked incredulously.

Chris paused. "Did I not tell you that? Yeah, I noticed when I was in the Maze, cause, you know, I was dying all the time. It isn't a huge boost, but every little bit helps, you know?"

Beth furrowed her brow thoughtfully. "Do you think if I died, I'd get stronger?"

"Maybe?" Chris replied hesitantly. "As I said, I'm not sure why it happens, but if it's just a part of the resurrection process, it should work. But this is exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about! I have no idea how my ability works, and little to know idea how to figure it out!"

"But that's the fun part! You get to experiment! Like we are absolutely going into your world and pounding each other a few dozen times." Beth retorted.

"Uh… should I come back later?" The server interjected, giving the two of them a weird look.

Beth flushed in embarrassment. "Uh, no, we- uh, his ability lets him open a portal to a world where we can do things without worrying about the consequences."

"Beth, that is not helping." Chris groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose, before turning to the server. "She's talking about fighting. You can't die in my world, so even if we kill each other, no big deal."

"Ah, gotcha. Cool ability." The server nodded in understanding. "So, what would you guys like to drink?"

"Wait, hold on. What did you think I meant?" Beth asked, looking between the two of them in confusion.

The two of them shared a look, before turning back to Beth. "Beth, for the common folk, pounding is a euphemism for sex." Chris explained.

Beth's eyes widened, before frowning. "You guys are disgusting!" She huffed.

"Hey, you're the one who said it." Chris shot back with a grin.

Beth rolled her eyes, and the server took their order. "Ugh, why are you so disgusting?" Beth grumbled after the server left, crossing her arms.

"Wait, wait, wait, this is not a me thing. This is a world thing. Did I say anything about your word choice? No, it was the server who got the wrong idea. There are certain words and phrases that our culture considers sexual. How you missed this information, I have no idea, but your issue is with our culture, not with me." Chris retorted.

"Nyeh!" Beth stuck her tongue out at him petulantly.

Chris shook his head. "Look, Beth, I get it, you're just being you, but you have to understand that other people have a different understanding of the world."

Beth sighed. "But why does it have to be so gross!?!"

Chris shrugged. "People are gross. It's a thing."

"People suck." Beth grumbled.

"Tell me about it." Chris agreed.

"So, is it time to pound each other now?" Chris asked with a grin as they left the restaurant after they ate.

Beth frowned, pinching Chris's side, causing him to yelp. "I know what that means now!" She growled. "But yeah, I do like the idea of kicking your ass right now." She added with a grin.

Chris chuckled. "Come on, let's go." He opened a portal for her, before stepping in after. "So, how do you want to do this? I mean, if you use your ability, it's pretty much going to be a one sided beat down, unless I use my ability, which… well, it'd be the same, but the other way around."

Beth frowned. "Well, I can't turn off my resistance to blunt trauma, so hand to hand is out… the real question is, do we actually need to fight? Couldn't you just kill us a bunch of times and see if anything happens?"

Chris paused. "Yeah? But I thought you wanted to fight. For fun or something."

Beth shrugged. "I mean, having a fight or two might be fun, but I don't think it's necessary."

"Fair enough. Then, how do you want to die? We know stabbing works- wait." Chris suddenly remembered something. He opened a portal, revealing a goblin focused intently on a small round toy that was blinking and making sounds in a specific order. "Hey, Dyrdek."

[Chief? No!] Dyrdek exclaimed as he made a mistake in his surprise, causing the toy to flash red. The goblin sniffed. [I was so close to beating my high score…]

"Uh, sorry… I just wanted to ask, do you remember that time I sat on you and stabbed you like fifty times in the head? Did you get any stronger after that?" Chris asked. The moment he asked the question, he realized that no, the goblin hadn't gotten any stronger after dying all those times, the same way he'd suddenly known the goblin's name. Chris rubbed his temple slightly, wondering what was up with that.

Dyrdek cocked his head in confusion. [Stronger? I don't believe so. Why?]

Chris sighed. "No reason. Sorry for interrupting your game." He replied, before closing the portal. "Well, if it was just death, he should have gotten noticeably stronger. I mean, I only died like five times before I noticed it, and he died a lot more than that."

Beth looked at him with wide eyes. "Why do you have a goblin in here?"

"Oh, right, you didn't know. It's the same goblin from before, the one I formed that connection with, remember? Apparently when he dies, he comes here now." Chris explained.

"Wait, so you can make other people immortal now?!? Do me! Do me!" Beth jumped excitedly.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on." Chris waved his hands, trying to calm her down. "This is another of the things I'm not sure about. Plus, at least with Dyrdek, the connection seems to make the person subservient to me, which… Well, that one's up to you."

"Subservient?" Beth asked, frowning.

"Yeah. According to Dyrdek, it's like he has to obey me." Chris explained.

"Hmmm…" Beth considered Chris thoughtfully. "Is there a way to get immortality without that part?"

Chris shrugged. "I have no idea. I mean, I could try but there's a risk the bond forms and you end up like that anyways. And I can't seem to break the bond either, so it might be permanent if it does happen."

"So… you could force people to be your slaves?" Beth asked, raising an eyebrow.

Chris paused, before frowning. "Maybe? Not really something I'm going to test out though. On the other hand, the bond with Dyrdek only formed after he begged me to let him out, saying he'd do anything, so maybe it has to be voluntary?"

"No offense, but I'm not exactly eager to be a test subject for that experiment." Beth replied.

"Yeah, no, I get it. I'll have to capture something next time I'm in the Maze." Chris nodded in understanding.

"Then, about the whole getting stronger after dying thing…" Beth mentioned, returning to the previous topic.

"Right! So, if Dyrdek didn't get stronger after I killed him that many times, then there has to be something more than just death that causes the strengthening, right? Either, it's an only me thing, which… bummer for you, or there needs to be certain conditions met before the strengthening happens. So first, let's just kill me a few dozen times and see if anything happens. If I get stronger, it's a me thing. If I don't, we'll need to look for the other conditions." Chris explained.

Beth nodded. "Should we head to a gym so you can test your strength before and after?"

Chris gave her a weird look. "Why would I need to go to a gym to tell if I'm stronger or not?"

Beth raised an eyebrow at him. "That… huh?!? How can you tell if you're stronger or not without testing it?"

Chris frowned. "You just… know, right? You see how strong you were before, then you see how strong you are now, and it's just obvious."

Beth blinked at him a few times, before pinching the bridge of her nose. "Okay, hold on. Are you telling me you're just aware of how strong you are?" She asked incredulously.

Chris paused. "Are you not?"

"No!" Beth exclaimed. "How- why do you think strength testers are a thing?!?"

"For precision? I mean, if you don't know how strong you were initially, even if you get stronger, you won't know the precise amount. Plus, it's a way to show other people how strong you are, if they don't believe you." Chris replied.

"That's- no! It's because people don't know how strong they are, and they want to test it!" Beth retorted.

Chris frowned. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive." Beth insisted.

"But then, how do people control their strength without knowing how strong they are?" Chris asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"They- they just do! It's… habit, I guess? They're used to their strength, so they know how to control it." Beth replied, frowning slightly as she wasn't actually entirely sure either.

"But what if their strength suddenly changed? Wouldn't that be a problem?" Chris pointed out.

"Yeah? That's why people with transformation type abilities need to train in both forms, so they get used to each one's strength." Beth explained.

Chris frowned. "That just seems inefficient."

"That's just how it works! You can't just know how strong you are!" Beth retorted.

"Unless you can. Like me." Chris replied.

Beth sighed, rubbing her temples. "Forget it, this is way off topic. Plus, I'd really like to kill you now."

Chris grinned, making a sword for her. "That is what we came here for. Just try not to damage my clothes, alright?"

"Anything?" Beth asked, huffing slightly after spending the last half hour killing Chris over and over again.

Chris frowned as he sat up after his latest resurrection. "Well, I'm not stronger. My skin is, though."

"Your skin?" Beth asked incredulously.

"Yeah, it's a bit tougher. Not by a lot, but I think it's harder to cut now… maybe it's related to how you've been killing me?" Chris suggested.

Beth frowned. "So, it fixes you up to make it harder to die the way you died before?"

"I guess?" Chris shrugged. "Or maybe it's more that it adds whatever it feels you were lacking when you died? Like, back in the Maze, I needed to be stronger so I could fight, while here, I didn't fight back, so I didn't need to be stronger, but my defense could be better."

Beth nodded along. "That could make sense… so, should we see if it works on me, now?"

"Yeah, but we need something you can improve that we can actually test. So, we can't just kill you like we've been killing me, because we don't have machines to test skin strength. At least, not ones that are easily accessible. We need something where, if you were stronger, you'd have a better chance…" Chris muttered thoughtfully. "You not just knowing your body's condition is really inconvenient."

"Do not act like that is something normal I should just be expected to know!" Beth retorted fiercely.

"Yeah, yeah." Chris waved her off, still thinking about how to do this. Sure, he and Beth could fight, but any real fight between them wouldn't have much to do with strength. What if he made a barbell with a spike on the end? Though… since he didn't have any weights, that'd be a problem… unless, what if he used a system of pulleys so he could pull down the bar? That way, they wouldn't need to test her strength, because he could tell how much strength he needed to kill her each time! "Okay, I think I have an idea." Chris announced, creating a frame and the pulleys, before looping a chain through it all. He then made a bench and the bar, connecting it to the chains, before gesturing for Beth to lie down. "So, you'll pick up this bar, and resist as I pull it down, until this spike goes into your head, okay? I'll be able to tell how much strength I need to use to kill you, so we shouldn't even need the testing equipment. Sound good?"

Beth frowned. "Why the head? Wouldn't it be simpler if the spike went into my chest?"

"Well, yes, but first off, the heart is a bad death, and second, you'd ruin your shirt, unless you took it off, which… Well, that's up to you." Chris explained. "I still think it's best to go for the head though."

Beth nodded. "Good points, good points… Well, let's do this then." She agreed, laying on the bench and grabbing the bar.

Chris nodded, grabbing the chain. "Ready?"

"Ready!" Beth announced.

Chris slowly pulled down on the chain, steadily increasing his strength until Beth's arms gave out and the spike pierced into her head. He then pulled another chain to yank the spike out, letting her recover, before starting again. They did this a few dozen times, until finally Beth got tired of dying and put the bar up. "Did it work?" Beth asked, sitting up.

"A little. Not as much as I expected it would though." Chris frowned.

"What do you mean?" Beth cocked her head, confused.

"Well, I expected to notice a difference around the third or fourth death, but it took more like twenty or so." Chris explained. "I'm not sure if it's because it's less effective for you, or if this just isn't a good method."

Beth crossed her arms. "But it did work, right?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, definitely. Dying makes you stronger. Who knew?" Chris replied with a nod.

"Yes!" Beth exclaimed triumphantly. "So all we need to do is keep killing each other and we'll get stronger and stronger!"

"I mean, theoretically. There might be a limit to this thing you know." Chris commented.

Beth rolled her eyes. "Okay, sure, but still! We can get stronger!"

"Well, yes, but how big a deal would that really be? You're already strong for the Scouts, and I'm too weak for the little bit of strength I'll get from this to really matter. Even if I double my power, I'll still be on the level of a low-tier ability user." Chris shrugged.

"Okay, okay, but think about this. If you keep getting stronger, you can capture stronger creatures, then help them get stronger, which will help you capture even stronger creatures, and on and on until you can beat the Maze!" Beth exclaimed excitedly.

"So… I'm going to use slavery to beat the Maze?" Chris replied, raising an eyebrow. "Also, why does that mean we need to get stronger?"

"Because you need your minions to respect you! How will you make them submit if you aren't strong?" Beth retorted.

"Well, letting Dyrdek roam around in the infinite void for a few weeks seemed pretty effective." Chris commented.

"That was a goblin! For the really strong, you're going to need to beat them into submission!" Beth retorted, punching her palm.

Chris opened his mouth to respond, before pausing and giving up. "You know what, fine. We'll kill each other. I suppose getting stronger doesn't hurt."