My name is Ned, and this is my story.
I was fourteen when I first encountered video games. By the time I turned fifteen, I had not only learned to enjoy them but also understood their mechanics, logic, coding, and underlying algorithms. During that time, however, my closest desk partner and I drifted apart.
Still, the thought of starting high school excited me. Even though verbal subjects didn't interest me much, I was determined to do my best for my future in university.
A new routine, a new environment… all of it drew my curiosity. Compared to others my age, I was more introverted, more observant, and far more questioning. Watching the world and trying to understand how people lived fascinated me. Whenever I had the chance, I would wander through crowds, observe the gap between the rich and the poor, and witness the quiet injustices that shaped people's lives. Every passing day sharpened my awareness a little more.
During my first year of high school, I created several small games and developed a few different ideas. But among everything I worked on, one concept stood out the most—the idea of building a completely new system.
I knew it was impossible, at least in the real world, but I still wanted to change something. So I built a system of my own—if only in theory. A system where people could earn ranks and gain abilities based on them. I couldn't explain why, but imagining something like that sparked an excitement inside me unlike anything else.
I wanted to introduce people to something new, something thrilling—to turn my daydreams into reality, even if only in small ways.
For this system, I developed a simple prototype. Naturally, it didn't actually grant real abilities. The only function was to create an account and request a rank from an administrator. After passing a few tests, users would receive their assigned rank, which would then appear on their profile.
Meanwhile, my school life was ordinary. When exam periods came around, I paused all programming and focused on studying. But as soon as exams ended, I returned to refining the system and brainstorming new ideas.
I hadn't shared this concept with my old seatmate. Even though we had drifted apart, we still managed to come up with a name for the system: Reta. It was simple, clean, and most importantly, memorable.
We also realized we could derive new words from it—for example, the name for the ranks themselves.
But unfortunately, my friend didn't share my passion. We disagreed on a few things.Even though we both knew this was nothing more than a fantasy, I still wanted to continue—if only for the fun of it.
Eventually, I coined the term Retan for the abilities users could earn. The name sounded modern and systematic. Players could now obtain Retans, and each one they acquired would be displayed on their profiles.
At the time, it all felt like a harmless hobby—a simple project.I had no idea this little fantasy would one day grow into something far greater…
Something that would change not just my life, but the world itself.