Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, Vol. 3 by Tomo Hirokawa and Reki Kawahara

 Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, Vol. 3 by Tomo Hirokawa and Reki Kawahara-160 pages

The adventures continue for Kirito, Asuna, and friends in Ainground. They continue to attempt to figure out just who Premiere really is and why she's a special NPC. They run into Kizmel the dark elf from Aincrad and they start a quest where they must defeat a demon lord. During this, Kizmel informs Kirito and friends that Premiere is a Priestess of the Sacred Stones and only she can help them defeat the demon lord. With Premiere's help they do indeed defeat the demon lord. Later, Lisbeth (one of their friends) buys and opens a Guild HQ. They also give Premiere a permanent place to stay since she doesn't have one like most NPCs do. This volume ends on something of a cliffhanger. There are three more volumes and I am eager to read them. 

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, Vol. 2 by Reki Kawahara and Tomo Hirokawa

 Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, Vol. 2 by Reki Kawahara and Tomo Hirokawa-160 pages

This is the second volume (of 5 so far) in this manga series. I am really starting to enjoy reading this. I mildly enjoyed the first volume, but there is more action in this one. I'm getting the hang of reading Japanese manga again, also. In this volume, Kirito, Asuna, and friends start to explore the Ground Quest that began at the end of the first volume. They want to see just where the quest leads and how Premiere fits into all of this. I plan to read the other 3 volumes of this series and to read plenty more manga (and graphic novels) for this month's challenge. 

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Volume 1 by Reki Kawahara and Tomo Hirokawa

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Volume 1 by Reki Kawahara and Tomo Hirokawa-160 pages

This is the first volume of a Manga series about teenagers in a virtual reality video game (vrmmo). It is based on video games by Bandai Namco. Kirito-Kun, Asuna, and their friends are playing the game together. The world of this game seems similar because it is. This is a Beta test of a new game called Ainground. The previous game was called Aincrad. Soon after starting the game Kirito, Asuna, and friends encounter an npc (non-player character) who they name Premiere-Chan. They go on a short quest and receive one col from Premiere for completing the quest. Premiere seems smarter than any npc from Aincrad and Kirito takes a liking to her and decides to try and protect her. Also, if a player attacks an npc or other players then he/she gets a blue or red (I think) cursor above his/her head. At the end of this volume, Premiere, Asuna, and Kirito go into a cave and inadvertently start a quest where they have to defeat a very difficult monster/enemy.