Play or Die?

#1
I have read so many stories that I can't even begin to find most of them. This one in particular has been bothering me. I'm pretty sure it was here on royalroad or is a light novel.

I remember a string of unexplained deaths on the news. The main character gets a vrmmorpg game in the mail? At some point the main character is forced to have two more people join the game (his friends end up joining him). The secret to leaving the game is finding the main quest line and completing the story. I vaguely remember a quest about Jack and the Beanstalk and the actual goal being getting two npcs together?

That's all I really remember. I would appreciate and help!