Imagine an Earth where almost all aspects of life are transferred to the game: the issue of work and even the place where you live - depend on your success in the game. The more you level up your character, the more opportunities you get in real life. The only downside is that your character only has one life. Lose it - and you have to start all over again.
The hero of our story was already quite well settled in life, but completing one of the quests was too difficult, which led to the loss of the character (and as a result, the loss of work and social benefits looms like a sword of Damocles). Now the hero has to start all over again.