Itai no wa Iya nanode Bougyoryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu.

Kaede Honjou tries the VR game New World Online at her friend's invitation and creates a character named Maple. Because she hates pain, she puts every stat point into defense without understanding the consequences. The choice should make her slow and weak, yet the game keeps rewarding her strange playstyle with skills that make her increasingly difficult to defeat.

Maple has no interest in optimal builds or established strategies. She simply tries whatever looks fun, sometimes eats monsters, and discovers abilities the developers never expected anyone to combine. With Sally joining her and a guild forming around them, a beginner's wish to avoid getting hurt turns into a phenomenon that leaves both players and administrators wondering what impossible power Maple will accidentally acquire next.