A dark and modern re-imagining of Sword Art: Online. KAZUTO is a sixteen-year-old failure, and he knows it. He's stealing money from his adoptive parents. His schoolteachers have given up on him. He doesn't even have a single friend. His only achievement? Being the #1 ranked player in the beta test of Sword Art: Online, the world's most anticipated sword-fighting VR game. But now the beta has ended, and his rank means nothing. Without it, he's just another nobody. Worse, the full game will have 1,000 times more players, meaning far fiercer competition for that top spot. However, it won't launch for another 66 days. Kazuto's got a head start—and a fighting chance. Desperate to reclaim his rank and his self-worth, he reconnects with his cousin, SUGUHA. She's a year younger and is everything he's not—top of her class, her mother's favorite child, and a 2nd-dan kendo national champion. Still, she agrees to help Kazuto sharpen his skills and hone his edge. Neither are aware that when Sword Art: Online is released, it will become a game of death, where virtual defeat means real-life death—and its players will have no escape. Two worlds, two souls—can these mirrored lives coexist? 66 days until the trap snaps shut. Aincrad awaits. What to expect: - Weekly updates- Character-driven (dual protagonist, multi-pov)- Progression-based LitRPG (big number go up)- Brutal consequences (no escapist power fantasy)