A groundbreaking new kind of technology has developed in 2026, four years after the disastrous Sword Art Online incident: the Augma, a gadget that uses an Augmented Reality system. Unlike the NerveGear and Amusphere's Virtual Reality, it is completely safe and allows gamers to use it while awake, making it an instant hit on the market. The game Ordinal Scale, which immerses players in a fantasy role-playing game with player ranks and incentives, is the Augma's most popular application.