The 4th Purge Day
January 28th, Saturday.
It was the day of Rena World's 4th Purge Day, and the update introducing Mythic-grade equipment had whipped up an absolute frenzy of attention.
Related posts carpeted the community boards long before Purge Day even began. Under that overwhelming momentum, not only League of Legends and PUBG but even Seona Land—a fellow Minecraft server—could only watch with barely concealed jealousy.
That was just how thoroughly Rena World had dominated January of 2023.
But today, unusually, the center of attention wasn't some major corporate streamer. It was a relatively obscure small-time streamer who barely registered on anyone's radar.
The star of the show was Tu-nyang-i—the first and currently only person on the entire server to possess a Mythic-grade weapon: the Spider Sword.
"Whoa, that looks sick. What are the stats like?"
"Tu-nyang-i, let me borrow it for a sec. I'll just check the stats and give it right back."
"Holy crap, holy crap. So you're the only one on the server who has this right now?"
Streamers who normally paid her zero attention flocked around Tu-nyang-i in a swarm, scrambling to strike up a conversation. Given that she held the title of sole owner of a Mythic-grade item on the entire server, it was only natural.
Meanwhile, the major corporate streamers and company leaders observed the scene from a slight distance.
"No, shouldn't we have just pulled for one right away too?"
"Oppa, if you don't know, just stay quiet, okay? Having money doesn't mean you throw it around randomly—you spend it efficiently. We still don't even know which equipment line is the best, so just wait a bit."
"Hey. You gonna keep talking to me like that? Just because I'm a Minecraft newbie, you're looking down on me way too much."
Park Bong-sik was once again generating content by doing his WWE routine with Rim-ani. Behind them, Mu-yang Group employees clustered in a dense, bustling crowd—a sight befitting the company with the largest membership in all of Rena World.
"No matter how I think about it, the Blazer weapon and Gitter armor set seem best. With double jump, right? You can just control the fight and hit them one-sidedly while dodging. Plus you can walk on water and lava, so isn't this completely broken?"
This time, O-Wang Company. Unlike the Minecraft newbie Park Bong-sik, Wang-ko had already fully adapted and was forcefully arguing his own opinion. It felt like the PUBG cartel members were putting their heads together for a serious strategy meeting.
Unfortunately, O-Wang Company was short on funds, so they couldn't attempt Mythic-grade equipment on the day of the update.
And then there was Lethal Company.
"Mythic grade is a League of Legends thing, right? Huh? They added Mythic-grade equipment here too? What? How do you even get that?"
"Uh, Chairman. If you don't know, maybe just stay quiet..."
Seoni Moon was buzzing with rare anticipation.
"Tu-nyang-i pulled a Witherite sword this time, so maybe we can actually win? We could use this Purge Day as a chance to rise as a prestigious company!"
"If we thoroughly protect Tu-nyang-i and have her focus on offense, there might be a chance..."
Meanwhile, the increasingly despondent Bad Potato Company huddled quietly in a corner, whispering among themselves. They looked so pitiful it almost hurt to watch.
"Just wait! We're only going after one guy. The second we catch them. Got it?"
"Woooo!"
And Akatsuki, which had recently expanded to six members and declared itself a formal company—graduating from mere club status. Led by Oh Yeong-jun and Kkaenam-i, they were showing off the bold spirit of a newborn company.
And finally, us.
"..."
A quiet nod was the full extent of our visible reaction. After all, keeping today's plan classified was critical. No need to open our mouths and draw unnecessary attention.
Then Rena-ttang arrived at the grand plaza where everyone had gathered, ready to announce the start of the festival.
Residents of Rena World. Did you all enjoy the Lunar New Year holiday? It's been so long since I've gotten to greet this many of you in one place.
Woooooo!
At last, the day we've all been waiting for—the 4th Purge Day! With more participants than ever, the prize pool has grown as well. Today's winner takes home a whopping 5 million Rena! Second place gets 3 million, and even third place walks away with 2 million Rena.
With Mythic-grade equipment draining massive amounts of currency, the prize money had clearly been scaled up to match. Of course, Mythic-grade gear was such a money sink that even those prizes barely scratched the surface—but it was more than enough to fire up the companies gunning for the win.
The grand prize wasn't that big? Then just sweep second and third place too and pocket the full 10 million Rena. A few companies were already approaching the day with that kind of swagger, a reddish aura practically rising off them.
And today, we have someone entering Purge Day wielding a genuine Mythic-grade weapon. That's right—Tu-nyang-i of Seoni Moon! I'm personally very curious to see what kind of performance she'll put on today.
At Rena-ttang's words, every gaze in the plaza swung back toward Tu-nyang-i. This might well be the single most attention she'd ever received in her entire streaming career. I'd snuck a peek earlier—her viewer count was already over three thousand, higher than mine. Casual viewers hungry to see Mythic-grade weapon performance in real combat had flooded in en masse.
But they'll figure it out soon enough. In the current version, Mythic-grade equipment is all flash and no substance.
As a regressor, I already knew. When Mythic-grade gear first dropped, its actual performance was surprisingly mediocre. Sure, it outclassed the previous endgame standard—Netherite gear—but it was nowhere near worth the ceiling cost of 100 million Rena to obtain.
Today's Purge Day combat would prove exactly that.
She couldn't even dominate a 1v1 against Oh-ha, right? The performance was way lower than expected.
That was why, after today's Purge Day ended, the company leaders would file a wave of complaints. After building up so much hype for the content, who would bother chasing Mythic-grade gear if the performance was this underwhelming? Judging those complaints valid, Rena-ttang and the admins would hold a meeting and push through a buff update for Mythic-grade equipment. Only then would Mythic gear start living up to its reputation.
Which is exactly why there's no need to pull for it early. Just get it ready right before the Arena. And Tu-nyang-i choosing the Witherite sword? That's an incredibly nice choice for us.
After today's battles, the perception that the Witherite sword was "mid" would spread through every company's leadership. So everyone would prioritize gear that helped them make money—Golderite swords, Blazers, and the like—without ever realizing that the Witherite sword was actually the strongest option for PvP.
That kind of information was an enormous advantage. Other companies would burn through piles of cash climbing the ladder from Golderite to Blazerite and beyond before finally reaching Witherite. Our company could skip straight to the correct answer from the very first step.
Alright, thirty seconds remaining. Which company will produce today's winner? Honestly, it's been pretty one-sided so far. V-Live Company has swept three consecutive victories and completely dominated Purge Day. Will the legendary V-Live Company put on another masterclass this time? Let's start the countdown!
Tch. Rena-ttang just had to throw in that unnecessary comment at the end, and suddenly the wary glances aimed our way multiplied. Still, it wasn't really a problem. Winning wasn't our company's goal for today's Purge Day.
Go ahead—have fun tearing each other apart.
"We're targeting O-Wang Company today, so go easy on us, yeah?"
"Got it. I'll be rooting for you to place well."
Oh Yeong-jun sidled up right before the start, still clearly carrying trauma from the last Purge Day, and I sent him off with a wry smile. The guy really did worry too much.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1…… The 4th Purge Day—begiiiiins!
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
The instant Rena-ttang's declaration rang out, fireworks rocketed skyward and burst into gorgeous blooms of light. At the same time, battle cries erupted from every direction as each company's combatants drew their Netherite swords and charged.
"Heh heh! Last time we got a real spicy taste of defeat. O-Wang Company never forgets a grudge!"
There was a company with us specifically in their sights—O-Wang Company, forever hungering after the title of Rena World's strongest. Wang-ko and the rest of the PUBG cartel came barreling toward us with blazing eyes.
But then—
FLAP—!
"Huh?"
Every single one of us was wearing wings instead of armor, just as planned. And the moment Rena-ttang's signal dropped, we already had fireworks in hand. I waved goodbye to the baffled Wang-ko.
"The championship? Wait, have you guys never won even once? No wonder you've been trying so hard. We're sitting this one out, so go ahead and claim it. Fighting!"
WHOOSH—!
With that brief little pep talk, we all soared into the sky and rapidly exited the grand plaza. Down on the ground, the O-Wang Company members stared up at us like dogs that had just watched their chickens fly away.
"Alright—operation start!"
"Yes ma'am!"
"Let's goooo!"
"I'm heading to Lethal Company."
"I'll take O-Wang Company."
And so began V-Live Company's secret operation.