Trapped alongside thousands of others in the virtual reality game The New Gate, elite player Shinya Kiritani is determined to clear the game and finally return home. However, after he manages to defeat the final boss single-handedly, Shinya is transported to a new world that seems indistinguishable from the one he just escaped. Shinya discovers that as long as the game menu and his skills remain unchanged, he cannot leave this oddly familiar world. In his search for a way to break out of this new dimensional prison, Shinya encounters Tiera Lucent, a hotel receptionist who happens to be a protégée of Schnee Raizar—one of Shinya's former party members. With this glimmer of hope, Shinya strives to reunite with Schnee and uncover the truth about The New Gate.