Asuna Yuuki, who is achieving academic and social success, is on track to ace her high school entrance examinations. Misumi "Mito" Tozawa, a friend and classmate, suggests that she take a brief break from studying and go with her to the debut of the eagerly anticipated online multiplayer virtual reality game Sword Art Online (SAO). Asuna accepts her invitation, and they soon cross paths in the game. In a cruel turn of events, Asuna, Mito, and every other player currently logged into SAO discover themselves permanently ensnared in the game. Clearing all one hundred floors of the game is the only way to escape, and to make matters worse, dying inside the game will actually result in the player's death. Now that SAO is a terrifying death trap, Asuna and