At the center of the story is Kaede Honjou, who receives an invitation from her friend Risa Shiramine to partake in a virtual reality MMO game. Although not opposed to gaming, Kaede has an aversion to experiencing pain. In an effort to avoid this, she creates a character named Maple and assigns all her points to VIT, enabling her to reduce the amount of pain incurred. This decision has some drawbacks, however, as she moves at a slow pace, lacks the ability to utilize magic, and is vulnerable to attacks from even the lowliest of creatures. Nonetheless, her VIT-centered approach acquires for her a highly sought-after skill called "Absolute Defense," as well as a "Counter Skill" that allows her to neutralize specialized tactics. Endowed with the capacity to endure any assault, Kaede embarks on a host of exciting quests.