Purge Day
Maybe it was the anticipation for Saturday.
Friday vanished in a blink.
Meanwhile, the community was buzzing with excitement over the first Purge Day. Posts zeroing in on Mist and Oh-ha poured out in particular. When talk turned to raw combat power, mechanical skill was impossible to leave out of the conversation. It was only natural that two former pro gamers would draw the spotlight.
Right behind them came Endu, the one who scored the first Ender Dragon kill. Her armor was missing only the Mending enchantment; everything else was practically maxed out, and her reputation as a Minecraft veteran only boosted the evaluation. Oh-ha might have been a public menace as a PUBG streamer, but in Minecraft she was still a beginner, wasn't she?
In that light, some people were already framing this Purge Day's first place as a showdown between Mist and Endu. Both of them were Minecraft veterans, after all.
And while all of that was happening, Mayo and I were moving in the shadows beneath the surface.
An underdog uprising no one saw coming.
What a thrilling premise that was.
"Sisters, just hold down the house for now. We'll mark Mist thoroughly."
"Okay."
"Got it. Be careful."
Endu probably wouldn't move. She was a classic small-time streamer. She might have possessed enough combat power right now to contend for first place, but the small-streamer instincts she'd built up on Rabbit TV still had her tightly bound. What if I stick my neck out and something goes wrong? What if I get hated by a bigger streamer and their fandom marks me?
Mist, on the other hand, would move without hesitation. He currently had the biggest weight class in Rena World, a solid network, and a place in Pangea TV's mainstream. Nothing to hold him back.
Which makes it even better. He'll hand us the justification all on his own.
It is 7:50. Everyone, please gather at the plaza.
Ten minutes before Purge Day began.
Every player currently online had assembled in the plaza next to the Pokémon Center. A quick glance at the middle-right of the screen showed thirty-two people connected. As Rena World's viewership climbed, the average concurrent count had been creeping up little by little, and today it finally hit its peak. Minecraft characters packed the plaza so densely it was hard to believe the place was usually empty.
"Oh-ha-ssaem, hi~"
"Oh, hey. Seo-a's been working hard."
In the meantime, her trademark friendliness must have already rounded up travel companions; two people stood behind Oh-ha. Checking the nameplates above their heads, I exchanged brief greetings with Kaang and Rinka.
"Unnie, over there."
"Hm? Ah…"
In the direction Mayo was staring, today's primary target—Mist—was walking over. Dorai and Coco-nyang trailed after him in a little line. Hm? There were more behind them, too. Just how many followers had he gathered in two days? He was practically the King of Chairs at this point.
I will explain the rules one more time. PK, looting, and destruction are all permitted. If you are worried about your items, please place them in a chest and lock it. After the content ends, return of looted items is at the parties' discretion—work it out between yourselves as part of your story.
Before anyone noticed, Rena-ttang had appeared high above the plaza, floating in midair in admin mode, and began speaking. Everyone lowered their voices and focused on her.
If you are concerned about items getting mixed up, please rename them. As for rankings, the staff will check the kill logs and compile the data, so just focus on playing. Ah! And repeated kills on the same person within ten seconds will not count. Intentionally dying for someone is also illegal. With prize money on the line, we will be checking this strictly.
That was explanation enough.
Rena-ttang, speaking in a rare voice-actor tone and showing off the professional side of her day job, slowly counted down—then, with one second left, delivered the line with cruel relish.
3, 2, 1…… From this moment—kill each other!
"Kyaaaak!"
From the very first second, sonic attacks erupted from every direction. Ugh, I almost went deaf from letting my guard down.
Most of the streamers gathered in the plaza scattered like a swarm of locusts, bolting in every direction. The handful of predators hunting them leisurely drew their diamond swords.
"We'll head out first."
"Okay. Watch yourselves on the way."
I'd outfitted Miho and Lucy with armor that, while not fully maxed, still sat comfortably in the upper tier. That should be more than enough for base defense. In a real pinch, Subnitti or Han A-yeon could pitch in too. As long as Endu, Oh-ha, and Mist stayed away, the two of them wouldn't be in any real danger.
Back to the main stage.
Four groups remained in the plaza.
Mayo and me.
Mist and his followers.
Oh-ha with Kaang and Rinka.
And the cluster led by Apple-mong.
Everyone was eyeing each other, hesitating—until Mist, of course, made the first move. Confidence in his own skill, maybe? He charged straight at Apple-mong's group, the largest one. Their diamond gear glittered; they'd clearly packed the enchants in properly.
I wasn't about to fall behind either.
Old habits die hard—my diamond sword instinctively sought out Dorai before I even thought about it.
"Huh? Wha—!"
But Dorai wasn't just going to take it this time. Following Mist around must have inflated his courage; he stood up to me with real swagger.
"Attacking me first is a declaration of war on our company. You know that, right?"
"Oh yeah? Company? What's it called?"
"Bad Potato Company. Mist-nim is the president."
"Who asked."
"Ack!"
Dorai stood his ground without backing down, but unlike me—full diamond set, every piece fully enchanted and gleaming—his gear still had dull, unfinished patches here and there. On top of that, my physicals might not have been pro-level, but they were clearly a cut above the average female streamer. In moments, Dorai was in a pinch.
"I'm dying! Help!"
"Tch!"
Coco-nyang tried to jump in, but Mayo cut her off. Mayo was fully geared out as well, had solid physicals, and was a Minecraft veteran. If she'd shown herself earlier, she might have ranked even higher than Endu in the community's eyes.
After Dorai, Coco-nyang started yelling for help too.
"What the hell? Get over there and help them!"
Startled, Mist spun around and shouted, and streamers with unfamiliar names like Pogum and Choheechohee came charging in.
"Ticklish. Did you even put half a heart of enchants on that?"
Ordinary gear with zero upgrades barely registered even on a successful critical hit. Seeing Dorai try to run once he realized how bad it was, I swapped to my bow and loosed an arrow on the spot.
Seo-a's bow 'You're Solo' sniped Dorai.
The first-kill message boomed across the server.
Heh. How's that taste?
Didn't see a fully maxed bow coming, did you?
I quickly scooped up the items that had dropped on the ground. In the meantime, Coco-nyang died to Mayo as well.
"What the hell—backstabbing me?!"
Furious, Mist came charging in, sword swinging. I put two more arrows into him on the approach, but he dodged them with practiced ease—pro-gamer physicals, no question. Up close, though, I could see his boots and helmet still needed work. That made this more than doable.
"Hah!"
"Osoi!"
I wasn't just saying it—our fight was a true clash of equals. Whenever a little distance opened up, I snapped my weapon over and tried for a sniper shot. Mist used the surrounding buildings as shields with expert timing, dodging arrows while fishing food out to recover health. His sword work was no joke either. Mashing the attack button shortened the swing animation and killed the damage, but he was measuring the cooldown perfectly and landing full-charge hits every single time.
Yeah, this isn't easy. But—!
I deliberately dragged it into a war of attrition. Between Mist and me, there was a critical difference beyond just the gear.
"Wait! Time out, time out! Let's both heal up fair and square."
"I'm fine. I'm at full health."
"How?!"
Rage at a situation he couldn't understand. From Mist's perspective, of course he was furious. Over five thousand people were watching. And for someone who had built his image on outstanding game skill, the risk of losing a 1v1 to a female streamer was a genuine crisis.
"Because the food we're eating is different."
What Mist had prepared for health recovery was the famous budget pick: potatoes. I, on the other hand, was fighting while eating ratatouille—something that required four ingredients plus a wooden bowl just to craft. Rough math put the hunger recovery at about three times higher. And the price difference? Around twelve times, give or take.
"This is cheating!"
"Can you feel the difference in power?"
Without a shred of mercy, I brought my diamond sword down on Mist's head as he wheezed on residual health.
Seo-a's sword 'You're Trash' cut down Mist.
A glorious victory for capital.