Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-18053181-20141214100556/@comment-1200981-20180219074814

It isn't even a reboot of the Aincrad Arc, it's a retroactive expansion of the arc and only up to the points that the main novels and side-stories haven't covered. The purpose is to fill in the gaps within the numerous timeskips by depicting Kirito and Asuna's adventures as they traversed each floor of Aincrad before they ultimately reached Floor 75. At most, it is a soft retcon. Reki Kawahara even explained in his author notes at the end of the first Progressive book that it is meant to be congruent with the continuity set within the main LN series. It is not a separate continuity nor is it an actual reboot by the literal definition of the term. The events of Progressive are even referenced in latter novellas of the main series.