In 2022, gamers celebrate as Sword Art Online—a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) unlike any other—opens its virtual doors, enabling players to utilize the pinnacle of gaming technology: NerveGear. This system lets users fully immerse themselves in the game world by manipulating brain waves to generate a completely realistic gaming experience. However, once the game goes live, players' excitement swiftly shifts to horror when they realize that, despite its impressive features, SAO lacks one of the most essential functions of any MMORPG: a log-out button. Now confined to the virtual world of Aincrad, with their physical bodies held hostage by NerveGear in the real world, users receive a chilling ultimatum: conquer all one hundred floors of Aincrad to regain your freedom. Yet in the twisted world of SAO, "game over" signifies certain death—both virtual and real...