“Feng Bujue, level 15.
“Wang Tanzhi, level 15.
“Passing Rain, level 15.
“Laughing Soul, level 14.
“Please select the game mode that your team wants to join.
“You have selected Team Survival Mode (Normal). Please confirm.
“Confirming. The team size has been randomized: A team of 4.
“Your team has joined the team queue. Team full.
“Adjusting nervous connectivity, generating the scenario…
“Please wait a moment. Downloading.”
The four of them were ’lucky’ enough to queue up for a four-person scenario. However, something unusual happened. The greeting, ’Welcome to Thriller Paradise’, did not occur.
Other than that, the four did not get teleported or see an introductory cinematic like they usually did when they started a team scenario. They merely felt the elevator move slightly, and then, the system announcement came.
“Download complete. You are currently playing Team Survival Mode (Normal). A scenario introduction is provided in this mode, and there is a chance to trigger a side or hidden mission and special world-building.
“Reward for clearing the scenario: Random draw of a learnable Skill Card.
“Playing the scenario introduction soon. The game will start right after.”
The next second, nothing happened. The introductory cinematic that was promised did not arrive.
“What’s going on?” The four in the elevator had the same question on their mind. Suddenly, they felt the floor give way underneath their feet, and they were pulled along by gravity.
The floor of the elevator opened without warning, and no one anticipated this change. Thankfully, this was not some kind of death trap. The players plummeted a height of around two meters before they ended up on a slide. A shapeless force pulled them forward, and they slid down the slide that seemed to appear out of thin air. The slide was similar to the kind at theme parks, but there was no water. Instead, it relied on some kind of mysterious force to pull the objects on the slide downward, and the speed was very fast.
The four of them were pulled involuntarily toward the unknown. They did not know where they were or where their teammates were. They could not see anything but could only sense that they were moving fast down the slide.
It did not take long for this strange beginning to be over, and they arrived at the end of the slide.
Feng Bujue was dumped by the force into a chair with a large back. Then the chair started to spin as it elevated. When the spinning stopped, Feng Bujue rose to a rather open space even though his surroundings were still dim. He could not look too far into the distance but had a blurry view of everything within ten meters.
He looked around and noticed that Xiao Tan, Passing Rain, and Laughing Soul were in the same state as him. They were all seated in the same chairs, and everyone had a rather tall control panel raised before them. They were each placed at the four cardinal directions. In the middle of them was a circular space about ten meters wide. The floor was decorated with alternating black and white tiles, giving it an appearance of a chess board.
Just as they were incredibly confused, in the dark, an extremely powerful, deep, and arresting voice boomed. “Ladies, gentlemen, and those who identify as others, welcome to the live shooting of ’Death Quiz’. Please put your hands together for the host, Mr. Yoo!”
A circular spotlight pierced the darkness and landed on a corridor that connected to the circular center stage. At the end of the corridor was a large door decorated with skeletal motifs. Right then, the door opened, and thick, white fog rolled out. It was unclear whether it was actual fog or dry ice. The next second, several rainbow strobe-lights lit up the area, and following the music of Gangnam Style, a fatty danced out from the door in the signature horse-riding dance. With his appearance, the cheering of the audience rose.
This Mr. Yoo was a bald man, and he wore a specially made suit, a pair of round glasses, and a rather tall top hat, which dangled from his hairless head. He looked polite and rather gullible. Even though he was large, he was agile when he danced. Like a large penguin, he waddled to the middle of the stage. When the music stopped, he assumed the pose of the famous ’thinker’…
“Hmm… what is this? Is it trying to imply that Gangnam Style will be famous for another thirty years?” Feng Bujue commented drily.
“Welcome, everyone! This is…” Mr. Yoo raised the microphone in his hand high into the air. At that moment, the spotlights around them lit up at the same time, and Feng Bujue finally got a clear view of everything. This area was like the large recording studio for TV shows. The ceiling was filled with structures from which the spotlights dangled, and there was electrical wiring everywhere. The four players were seated around the circular stage, and on the panel before them was a microphone, four buttons about the size of a cup with the letters A to D, and a small screen.
Behind them, and around the stage, several thousand monsters were seated. Every kind of monster was there from both eastern and western mythology. Spirits, ghouls, half-beasts, fairies, vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein, and so on. In such a place, perhaps humans were the supernatural beings.
“DEATH QUIZ…” Mr. Yoo laughed in a similar manner to Coach Anzai from Slam Dunk and then snapped his finger, which made a staff appear in his hand.
Mr. Yoo held the microphone in one hand and the staff in the other. “Now… it’s time for us to meet the four participants that we have with us today.”
He twirled the staff expertly around before pointing at Feng Bujue. “No. 1, Feng Bujue.”
In the same manner, he introduced the rest. “No. 2, Wang Tanzhi; No. 3, Passing Rain; No. 4 Laughing Soul.
“And the prize for today’s winner is…” Mr. Yoo’s hand that held the microphone reached into his pocket to take out a white plastic bottle. There was no label on the bottle. “A bottle of 20-capsule P-500 (Ambrosia).”
He raised the bottle high, and with a twirl of his wrist, like magic, the bottle disappeared. “Of course, if all of the participants perish in the game, the prize will roll over to the next show.”
Feng Bujue did not idle when the host spoke. He used Strategic Victory to see who the boss of this scenario was, and he was given the stats of the fat host standing before him.
———
Name: Mr. Yoo
Race: Half-God
Level: Undetectable
Height: 160 cm
Weight: 103 kg
Fighting Style: ???
Weakness: ???
Skills: ???
Danger Level: Extremely lethal
———
Right then, Mr. Yoo said, “Alright, let’s hear what the participants have to say before the game starts! First up, No. 1, Mr. Feng!”
“Er… I think that it’s best for us to follow the game rules,” Feng Bujue said as he tossed looks at his teammates. Since they had the discussion before starting the scenario, the rest were familiar with the effect of Feng Bujue’s title skill. So, when they heard that, they knew instantly… to not resist. If they violated the rules of the scenario, it would only lead to death.
Even if Feng Bujue did not say that, the rest would not have done anything rash. Even if they did not know how strong the fatty before them was, they had to be cautious of the audience surrounding them. With so many powerful monsters, even if just a portion of them rushed onto the stage, the four of them would easily be demolished.
“That sounds like an empty sentence,” Mr. Yoo said with a smile, and that elicited a laugh from the audience. Then, he turned to Xiao Tan and pointed at him. “Participant No. 2.”
“Huh? It’s my turn?” Xiao Tan was startled. “Erm… Is it possible to bow out from this game?”
“Good question, and the answer is…” Mr. Yoo paused before answering with a smile, “No.”
Laughter erupted amid the audience again, and Xiao Tan’s lips twitched.
“Now… Participant No. 3.” Mr. Yoo turned to Passing Rain.
“I have nothing to say to you,” Passing Rain replied coolly.
“Oh, we have an unapproachable beauty with us today.” Mr. Yoo shrugged before addressing Laughing Soul. “Participant No. 4.”
“Can I know what the effect of the prize is?” Even at a time like this, Laughing Soul kept her pragmatism.
Mr. Yoo raised his brows and revealed a kind, earnest expression. “It can cure all diseases.”
“Oh, then I have a follow-up…”
Before she could finish, Laughing Soul was interrupted by Mr. Yoo. “Alright, everyone! Before we start the first round, let’s get to know the three special guests that we have with us today…”
Mr. Yoo turned to point at the row at the front of the area where the audience was seated, and the spotlight moved with his finger.
Seated on the left side was a blonde, Caucasian woman. She was in a black suit, and her hands were folded in front of her voluptuous chest. She looked around thirty, definitely a gorgeous beauty, but her face was colored with a deep resentment and condescension.
“Our first guest, Miss Pride from the Seven Sins,” Mr. Yoo introduced.
“Humph…” When the camera turned to her, she scoffed coldly as she turned her face away. But the audience reacted kindly to her presence, showering her with cheers and whistles.
Next to Pride was a young man who looked about twenty. He was also in a suit. He had a ponytail. His face was incredibly pale, and there was no life in his eyes. He appeared to be lying in his seat rather than sitting in it.
“Our second guest, Mr. Pestilence from the Four Horsemen,” Mr. Yoo said. The spotlight landed on the man, and he used his hands to shield his eyes as if the light could injure his extremely fragile body. He coughed twice and weakly uttered, “Cough… cough… I am not feeling so good…”
“You say that every time we meet. It’ll be fine. At least you’re much better than Mr. Weak Kidneys,” Mr. Yoo chided. The audience laughed.
The spotlight soon moved to the last special guest. He was a middle-aged man with a square jaw and fire in his eyes. He wore a short-sleeved top and jeans. The muscles that were shown on his exposed arms were taut and ropy.
“Our third guest is the God of Fire, Mr. Hephaestus,” Mr. Yoo added. “At the same time, he is our sponsor for this week’s show.”
“Actually, I’m here because I was too bored facing the bunch of Cyclops at the mines,” Hephaestus said.
The audience gave a littering of claps. But a group of cyclops was seated in the crowd, and they booed to show their dissatisfaction.
“Alright, everyone, we shall now begin the show…” Mr. Yoo suddenly teleported to stand before a camera. The cameraman gave his face a great close-up, and Mr. Yoo spoke in a rapid manner. “This show is sponsored by Thriller Box. Those who participate in the SMS activity and the game will have the chance to win one thousand Ghost Coins and fabulous prizes provided by Thriller Box. Please come and interact with us on the livestream by clicking on the link below. That will bring you to our official website. Want to trade, Thriller Box! Want to win prizes, watch Death Quiz! Thank you for your love and support!”
No wonder this scenario doesn’t have an introduction and did not say ’Welcome to Thriller Paradise’. Feng Bujue ignored the fatty who was running through his advertising spiel and thought to himself, It’s because there is a host to go through the whole thing…
Feng Bujue observed the group of monsters around them. Each of them looked so powerful, especially that Mr. Yoo. He likely possessed the power to vanquish them in mere seconds. The chance of this being a fighting scenario was exceedingly low. With that condition, their level of freedom would be very low. Currently, they had no idea what the rules of this ’Death Quiz’ were, but from the way Mr. Yoo spoke, it was possible to die in the midst of Death Quiz. To clear the scenario, the only way was to participate in the strange quiz.
“Alright, it is time for the first round, Obligatory Questions!” Mr. Yoo tossed the staff into the air. The staff expanded like it was a balloon before popping and disappearing. Then, he retrieved a stack of cards from inside his suit. The cards were about the size of envelopes but slightly sturdier. The back of the cards were printed with the logo of Death Quiz, and the front? Well, that was only visible to the host.
“The rules of this round are as follows. I will go down the order and ask each participant a question. You have forty-five seconds each to answer the question. Correct answers will nab you ten points while an incorrect answer or no answer will lose you ten points from your total. There are sixteen points in total, and the participant with the fewest points at the end of this round will enter the coliseum.”
Once Mr. Yoo had announced the rules, he instantly turned to Feng Bujue. “Now, please listen to the first question!”
Feng Bujue did not have time to wander about the ’coliseum’ because he had to focus on the question.
“This is a history question.” Mr. Yoo spoke in a rhythmic manner to draw the audience’s attention. “The question is…”