Concept: World - Chapter 6: The Solitary Sun (1)

Ethel lay on a bed in the medical ward on the nineteenth floor.

Both of his arms had been completely healed, good as new, but the medical officer still insisted that he remain overnight for observation.

No sooner had he settled in than visitors began arriving.

The first group was from the Third Squad.

Ethel quickly noticed, however, that several people were missing.

"You mean Lailer and the others?"

Abby explained.

"They want to spar with you too. To avoid learning what your Concept does beforehand, they decided not to watch."

Only then did Ethel remember.

When they'd first met, Lailer had only mentioned that he was a Lost One, never what his Concept was.

Abby, on the other hand, had told him his Concept immediately.

"What about you, Abby?"

"Me?"

"I'll pass..."

"My Concept is Lock."

"I can unlock any lock."

"Door locks, padlocks, anything."

"But... that's all it does."

"It's pretty difficult to use in combat."

A gentle smile rested on his round face.

It looked like he'd already accepted reality.

Yet a trace of disappointment still lingered in his eyes.

At last, Ethel understood why they were called the Lost Ones.

If the exact same Concept belonged to a Perfected, it would undoubtedly manifest at its full potential.

But for Lost Ones...

there was a wall they could never cross.

Ethel himself had been fortunate.

His Concept—Heart—was exceptionally useful.

But many Lost Ones were like Abby.

They had been granted a Concept...

only to receive one with little practical value.

Having something...

yet not truly possessing it.

That kind of emptiness would leave anyone feeling lost.

"Forget about that."

"I can't believe you actually beat Vice-Captain Bing!"

"You're amazing!"

Anrique stared at him with sparkling eyes full of admiration.

The attention made Ethel feel a little embarrassed.

It wasn't just Anrique.

Everyone looked at him with respect.

Even Oke.

"You're the first person in history to beat Vice-Captain Bing in their very first mock battle."

"My respect."

"Seriously."

"We all got completely destroyed the first time we sparred with her."

"Seeing someone actually beat her..."

"...it's honestly moving."

"You got revenge for all of us."

"I can hear you~~~"

Bing called from a nearby hospital bed, her eyes still on the book she was reading.

The moment she heard them talking behind her back, she immediately responded.

Tucker—the young man responsible for the joke—hurriedly apologized before ducking behind something where Bing couldn't see him.

"My Concept just happens to be well suited for one-on-one fights."

"I guess I got lucky."

Ethel tried to sound humble.

He didn't want people to think he was arrogant.

They continued discussing the battle for quite some time.

Only after Oke reminded everyone of the time did the conversation finally come to an end.

"Oh, right."

"Once you've finished sparring with everyone else..."

"...we'll start training coordinated team combat."

"You'll be paired with Force users from different rotations."

"How many people are there in the Third Squad?"

"Close to forty."

"We work in four rotating teams."

"So you'll be meeting plenty of new faces."

"I understand."

"Thanks, Oke."

"Mhm. Let's go."

"Bye-bye~"

"See you tomorrow."

Farewells echoed throughout the room.

Once everyone had left...

the ward suddenly felt much quieter.

"How nice."

"Everyone came to visit you."

"And not a single one came to see their vice-captain."

"But several of them came over to your bed just now."

"Oh."

"You noticed?"

"I was only teasing you."

Bing grinned mischievously.

She clearly wasn't bothered at all by the fact that she'd lost to a rookie.

"Why would I be upset?"

"Daybreak gained another excellent soldier."

"That's something worth celebrating."

That was how she saw it.

During the lull, they chatted about the finer details of their battle.

Then the ward door opened once again.

This time...

the entire First Squad had arrived.

All six of them.

"Not bad, kid."

"You actually beat Bing."

The moment Tyr entered, he immediately threw an arm around Ethel's shoulders.

"What he really means..."

"...is that you cost him a lot of money."

Michael quietly added from the side.

"Hahaha!"

"I bet on Bing!"

"Come on, before the fight started, who would've believed a rookie could beat an experienced vice-captain?"

"...I bet on Bing too."

"So did I."

"Me too."

"I didn't bet."

Seeing Ethel glance toward him, Quert quickly clarified.

"If everyone bet on Vice-Captain Bing..."

"...then how did anyone win?"

"Because Nightcandle bet on you."

Nightcandle, who had remained silent the entire time, simply nodded before giving Ethel a thumbs-up.

"He made a fortune."

"Those odds were insane..."

Tyr laughed.

He didn't seem particularly bothered about losing the money.

Learning that nearly everyone in the First Squad had expected Bing to win left Ethel feeling slightly disappointed.

Then again...

if he'd been placing bets himself...

he would've chosen Bing too.

"Alright."

"We won't keep bothering you."

"We just came to congratulate you."

With that, they prepared to leave.

Before doing so, however, every one of them stopped by Bing's bed to check on her.

Seeing all six of the legendary veterans gathered around her...

Bing became so embarrassed that she pulled her blanket up to cover half her face.

She nearly lost the ability to speak.

After the First Squad departed...

one final visitor arrived.

"Captain Tia?!"

Ethel couldn't help blurting out in surprise.

"I told you I'd come watch your mock battle."

"You fought well."

After a brief pause, she continued.

"I hope you never fight like that on a real battlefield."

"You'll die."

"I need your Concept."

"...I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize."

"Seeking glory while remaining safe is never something that deserves criticism."

"You have talent."

"Beating Bing was no accident."

"I hope..."

"...that one day you'll make me believe Oenone was right."

Having said everything she wanted to say, Tia immediately turned to leave.

Just before opening the door...

she stopped.

"Bing."

"It's arrived."

"Give it to him for me."

Apparently, it was unfinished business.

After giving the instruction, Tia finally left the room.

"What was that about?"

"You'll find out once you start team training.

More importantly, we never finished our conversation."

Even though their fight had ended hours ago, Bing was still enthusiastically dissecting it.

"Did you know from the beginning that I was deliberately driving you toward the wall?"

"No.

I never noticed."

"Then how did you end up using it against me?"

"It told me."

Ethel pointed to his own head.

"Who?"

"My Concept."

He briefly explained that his Concept didn't only show him red lines.

There was also a voice that warned him.

That was why he'd lost focus for a brief moment during the battle.

Bing frowned.

She hesitated before speaking.

"Monet's Concept is somewhat similar to yours.

It's also a type that analyzes and judges things.

But he's never said his Concept talks to him.

Actually...

I've never even heard of a Concept that can communicate with its user."

"Really?

Then how do you know how to use yours?"

"You... just do.

The first time it manifests, it feels like an instinct.

You naturally understand what you're capable of.

How to use it.

How to convert Force into your Concept.

Everything.

Pretty much everything except its name.

Though honestly, the name doesn't matter to the person using it."

"Captain Oenone said Concepts can evolve."

"For a small number of Lost Ones, yes.

But it's extremely rare.

Abby has tried.

Usually it's the Perfected.

The range they can explore is enormous.

There have even been Perfected who possessed the exact same Concept...

...yet developed completely different abilities."

"That's possible?"

"Yep.

Some researchers have proposed that our understanding of Concepts is still incredibly limited.

Maybe we've explored less than ten percent of what they're actually capable of.

So I suppose having a Concept that talks to you isn't impossible."

Ethel barely heard the rest.

His thoughts drifted elsewhere.

At some point in the past, he'd suddenly begun seeing those red lines.

The voice had appeared at exactly the same time.

It had taken him a long time to understand what either of them meant.

Even Mind's Eye opening and closing...

...seemed to have been taught to him by that voice.

Unlike Bing, nothing had ever come naturally to him.

Instead...

it felt as though the voice had been patiently guiding him, step by step, teaching him how to use his Concept.

Come to think of it...

he knew almost nothing about his own Concept.

He had only discovered a few days ago that it could actually hold conversations with him.

He had assumed everyone experienced Concepts this way.

Now it seemed...

he was the unusual one.

"Don't overthink it.

As long as it's a good Concept, that's what matters."

"...Maybe you're right."

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