Though Thor was clearly impatient, he still gave the new players a quick and basic rundown.
Unsurprisingly, his little info dump only made the new players even more shocked.
If they hadn't been abruptly dragged into the Eternal Space and found themselves unable to leave the golden beam of light, they never would've believed any of this was actually a game.
"So you're saying this is all some kind of alien trick? Like we're gladiators in their arena?" Stephen asked, utterly incredulous.
Thor shook his head. "It's not like that. Like I said, once the game's over, we'll be sent back. Oh, and just so you know—the entire game is being livestreamed. Every world each of you came from can watch it in real-time. So yeah, better be ready. You might embarrass yourselves in front of billions."
The new players glanced at each other, each with their own reactions. Thor watched them carefully.
Stephen lowered his head, visibly shaken, fear and confusion clouding his expression. The other three new players were also skeptical, unsure of what to believe.
Among them was a blonde girl who raised her hand. "Sorry, but what you're saying is absolutely insane... How can you prove any of this is real?"
"This quiz show wasn't my idea, alright? I don't owe you any proof."
Thor rolled his eyes. Still, maybe because the girl was cute, he added a few more words: "You'll understand once the game starts. There's nothing to be afraid of. See that guy? He's handling this way better than you are. Try learning from him."
The "guy" Thor pointed at was a man in a skintight costume standing to his left.
He was dressed like a masked vigilante, fully covered from head to toe—including his eyes, which had weird egg-white lenses. At first glance, he looked a lot like Spider-Man.
But unlike Stephen and the other three newcomers who were clearly nervous and unsettled, this skintight-suit weirdo was acting completely bizarre. He was bouncing around, throwing up "YES" hand signs at the light screen, clearly posing for the cameras.
He gave off a totally strange vibe—but you could say he was... optimistic.
Thor couldn't help asking, "Hey, buddy, what's your name?"
"Name's Wade. Wade Wilson. But you can call me Deadpool. Mr. Pool if you're nasty. Honestly, I respond to anything—except late for chimichangas."
Wade turned to him with a wink (you could feel the wink through the mask), then immediately resumed his ridiculous posing spree, muttering to himself, "Okay, okay, what is this? A new crossover event? Secret Invasion? Infinite Crisis? Avengers vs. Everyone? I love it! Vote for me, people! I promise blood, guts, heartbreak, probably an accidental musical number, and definitely at least one butt joke. I'll make that blonde Norse himbo over there look like background furniture!"
Thor's brow twitched. Okay, he definitely misjudged this guy. This wasn't optimism—this dude was straight-up insane.
Just then, text flickered across the light screen, and a booming voice echoed from above:
[This round of the quiz game is officially starting. Players, please listen carefully to the question]
[What did Gorr lose that made him susceptible to the influence of the Necrosword, turning him into the God Butcher?
(Hint: Buzzing in correctly earns 4 points. Incorrect buzz-in deducts 4 points. If you fail to answer before the timer runs out, it counts as a wrong answer. Normal answers—correct: +1 point; incorrect: –1 point.)]
[A: Family
B: Love
C: Power
D: Wealth]
This first question left all the players—including Thor—stunned. There was no context, no background info to work from.
Thor frowned and scratched his head. "God Butcher" gave him a bad feeling. He was the God of Thunder, after all. The name sounded familiar, like something he'd heard once…
But he'd been too busy flirting recently and hadn't been back to Asgard in a while, so he was a bit out of the loop on universal events.
The other new players stayed silent too. It was their first time playing this quiz game, after all.
Except for Deadpool.
"Okay, okay, timeout! Thor, buddy, big guy—you've got God in your job title, right? You have to know something about this God Butcher dude. Spill the Asgardian beans! A, B, C, or D? Come on, whisper it into my ear—purely platonic."
Thor gave him a sideways glare. "We're competitors, man. Figure it out yourself."
Deadpool just kept yapping. "Whoa, cold shoulder! Okay, fine. I get it. It's a battle royale and we're all supposed to act like it's Survivor: Cosmic Edition. But just hear me out. I could out-think you, no question. My brain's basically a sentient Wikipedia. BUT—and this is a big but, like mine—you know more about cosmic lore than I do.
So let's simplify this, yeah? Real talk. If you lost your mom or your girlfriend, which one would make you go full murderhobo and start butchering gods? Huh? Think it over. Forget the Necrosword. Forget the lore. Let's just get all Feels Channel for a sec."
Thor's temple veins bulged. What kind of twisted logic was that?
He roared, "Shut up! I'm not choosing anything—damn it, the timer's almost out!"
Smack!
Before anyone else could act—while Thor was flustered and the others hesitated—Deadpool slapped the buzzer.
"Y'ALL REALLY GONNA STARE AT IT LIKE IT'S MATH CLASS?! Okay, fine! I'll take one for the team. I choose A! Family! Boom! Lock it in, Regis!"
Thor cursed under his breath and quickly picked B. Since he was currently in love, he naturally figured that love mattered most.
The other players hesitated, but each made their picks before time ran out:
Annie and Hughie chose A.
Billy Butcher and Stephen chose B.
Clearly, most of them thought family or love were more important than wealth or power. And Deadpool's odd logic actually helped.
The timer hit zero, and the correct answer was announced:
[Congratulations, player Wade Wilson, for buzzing in with the correct answer first. +4 points.
Player Annie January: correct, +1 point.
Player Hughie Campbell: correct, +1 point.
Player Billy Butcher: incorrect, –1 point.
Player Thor Odinson: incorrect, –1 point.
Player Stephen Strange: incorrect, –1 point]
"WOOHOO! WHO'S YOUR MERC WITH A MOUTH NOW, BABY?!"
Deadpool launched himself into the air like he'd just hit a Vegas jackpot, struck a heroic pose mid-jump, then landed and started twerking to a completely imaginary victory theme. "Da-da-da-da-DAAA! Victory ass-shake engaged! And yes, yes, you can clip this moment for the highlight reel!"
As ridiculous as he was, the guy actually managed to liven up the mood.
Thor cracked his neck in frustration and barked, "Can you be quiet for just one second?!"
"Nope! This game's got all the production value of a public access cooking show. If I were running this gig, there'd be smoke machines, flashing lights, a studio audience with cardboard cutouts of Iron Man, Cap, Batman—hell, throw in Godzilla while we're at it! And when someone nails a question? Cue the fireworks, cue the slow-mo, zoom in for that sexy close-up. Showbiz, baby!"