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As we drew closer to the Sea Wall, the first odd phenomenon we observed was the clear weather.

The turbulent winds that mixed together, causing storms and massive waves in the Magentani Strait, gradually calmed down, turning into a clear sky with not a single cloud in sight.

Additionally, the waves that had been massive enough to swallow our ship began to shrink in size until, upon reaching the boundary of the ‘special zone’, they transformed into a tranquil lake.

The lake also became shallower towards its center, slowly revealing the land beneath.

In other words, the closer we got to the Sea Wall, the more the water disappeared, revealing the land.

“We’ve arrived. From here, we need to proceed on foot.”

Thus, we reached the land situated in the middle of the sea.

Having docked the ship, we gathered our necessary belongings and followed the guide. After walking several kilometers in his lead, the ‘Sea Wall’ finally came into view.

A massive pillar of water, towering almost to the sky, captured our gaze.

“Is that… the Sea Wall…?”

Everyone watching was overwhelmed by its grandeur.

The wall, exceeding 700 meters in height, was composed entirely of seawater.

It was indeed a sight before my eyes that could only be described as a phenomenon beyond the laws of physics, making it impossible to explain without calling it a ‘magical zone’.

“Seeing it in person is different from just hearing about it, right? I am always amazed each time I come here. That something like this can actually exist…”

Suddenly, the guide spoke to me, and I too was taken aback.

It felt like I was witnessing the planet Miller from the movie ‘Interstellar’.

However, the waves before me were far taller than what could be found on Miller.

Rather than crashing, they remained solidly fixed, formed into a rounded shape as if concealing something within.

Its grand size appeared to be a straight line, but the Sea Wall was actually oval-shaped.

“…Let’s set up the base camp.”

“Yes!”

Regardless of what might be hidden within, I was determined to uncover it no matter what.

What lay inside might just hold the key to seeing the ending of this damned game.

***

At 10 PM, exclamations of admiration erupted everywhere.

The people of Clendor were screaming in delight at the modern PVC tents that resembled homes more than tents.

This was a natural reaction, considering the shoddy rags they brought along could barely shield them from the wind and rain.

Of course, this was only from my perspective.

“I put in some effort.”

In contrast, my PVC tent was made from a different quality of material.

The tent was constructed using thick polyester fabric coated with PVC.

Additionally, dozens of sturdy and lightweight aluminum alloy poles were welded to create a solid foundation, and the floor was entirely made of wood, meaning we wouldn’t suffer any discomfort from uneven ground.

To top it all off, there was a heating device and a mattress, making it indistinguishable from a house.

“Every morning, we’ll bow in the direction of the lord.”

Thus, my construction team proudly boasted to the Clendor sailors.

Spacious, warm, and plush, with well-separated areas and even a private toilet.

It was a tent even better than a home, all thanks to my ingenious skills.

While it was a bit embarrassing for them to say such things loud enough for me to hear, I didn’t feel too bad about it.

“Lord. Everyone is gathered.”

As I was enjoying my little praise time, Grit approached me with a report.

He informed me that all personnel had been summoned to set the plans for this expedition.

As the captain and decision-maker of this exploration team, I held the authority to call everyone together.

“I greet the princess.”

I entered the tent serving as the meeting room and greeted the princess sitting at the head seat.

In response, the princess encouraged us to carry on freely, fiddling with something in her hands.

It was a toy I had made for her.

“…We should start by sharing information.”

As I spoke, I took the lead in the meeting.

First, I requested the Clendor guide to share everything he knew about the Sea Wall.

After all, the guide who was on his seventh tour was the one who knew the most about it.

“…First, it is impossible to cross that wall using physical methods.”

However, the guide’s first statement was somewhat shocking.

He claimed that it was utterly impossible to breach through using physical means.

When I inquired about the reason, the guide explained.

“…Numerous veteran sea hunters have entered the wall, but none have survived.”

“What… No one has survived? Were there any bodies found?”

The guide’s explanation was curious.

He seemed certain that there were no survivors, ruling out the possibility of disappearance.

“Yes. We confirmed that they all died. They died from falling.”

“…”

As expected, everyone who entered the wall had a cause of death.

An absurd cause of death labeled ‘falling’.

When I asked about it, the guide responded.

“I don’t know the reason. No one came back to tell what happened inside the wall. However, everyone died in the same manner. About 30 minutes after entering the wall, they died from falling from the sky. They fell from such a height that they were unrecognizable.”

“…”

Everyone swallowed hard, their expressions tense at the guide’s words.

Based on his testimonies, it was clear that for some reason, the Sea Wall propelled people upward, only to be flung off into the air.

‘…You can’t try to reason this with normal physical laws. This place is a magical zone.’

And that hypothesis was utterly baffling.

What kind of force would cause someone to ascend over 600 meters of water and then fall back down to the ground?

“We’ll need to conduct some experiments.”

To determine the cause, experiments were the only solution.

We would have to send everything in except for people to see what would happen.

“Uh… we’ve already conducted several experiments related to this.”

However, Clendor mentioned that they had already made such attempts and began listing what they had done.

The results of those experiments were shocking.

“So… all animals, except humans, did not fall? Inanimate objects like stones and steel too?”

“Yes.”

I was dumbfounded.

To specifically select people to fall was as if the wall had a will of its own.

“…No matter who it is, it’s dangerous.”

At that moment, Elena cautiously spoke up.

She was asking for opinions on whether it would be dangerous for her to enter.

After all, she was a Great Mage with the world’s greatest powers.

“…Everyone knows the Great Mage’s skills, but… I would still prefer that you do not enter directly. Even the Swordmaster died after entering the wall.”

“…What?”

The room froze.

The Swordmaster was dead?

The Swordmaster was the pinnacle of this world, with only five existing.

“Are you talking about the entrance?”

I asked to clarify what she meant.

Were they referring to a ‘real’ Swordmaster, or just someone at the introductory or intermediate level?

The guide shook his head vigorously and replied.

“…No. He was at the peak of mastery. The one known to have secluded himself in another country was Sir Gilraton.”

…Sword Master Gilraton.

He had been said to have entered a secluded training, but the reality turned out to be that he had died attempting to breach the Sea Wall.

Clendor surely would have had to conceal this fact.

“…Sir Gilraton…”

The Sea Wall that even a Swordmaster couldn’t surpass.

A somber atmosphere filled the room.

In particular, the cadets aiming to become inspectors and the active military personnel struggled to recover from the shock.

“…How about we try sending something that is neither living nor non-living inside?”

At that moment, Clarice, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, spoke up.

When everyone looked at her, half-elf and all, she perked her ears and continued.

“I can communicate with spirits. If I ask the earth spirit to create a golem and send it inside, we might be able to learn something.”

…That certainly seemed possible.

With that method, we could explore inside.

The Sea Wall wasn’t merely a wall that expelled only humans.

We decided to adopt Clarice’s method and test it out.

However, there was an unforeseen variable to using this method.

“…The spirits are not responding.”

There were no spirits present at all.

No spirits lived in this magical zone.

Eventually, I decided to proceed without spirits.

“Well then, let’s make it without spirits. A golem that listens well to us.”

Drawing inspiration from Clarice’s golem, I devised a new plan.

That was to create a semi-android robot to send inside.

Of course, sending Pix would be the most reliable method, but he was my assistant and family, so I couldn’t risk sending him to such a dangerous place.

Therefore, I would implant just the minimum programming needed for exploration via embedded computing, and send it inside the wall.

“Hey, everyone. Gather around.”

So, I called my club members.

Whether they had worked hard or not, all 17 of them were showing signs of hair loss at their crowns.

We were in a situation where we might as well be called the Hair Loss Club rather than the original club.

“I’m planning to create a robot capable of performing simple commands. You all have to help.”

Though that’s all well and good.

I began explaining my plan to them.

It involved creating a ‘robot for exploration’ by merging modern engineering with magical engineering.

Since the food we brought was limited, we needed to finish the exploration quickly, so it was necessary to have the club members work hard to make the exploration robot.

“Good job.”

After thoroughly grilling them and immersing them in research and development, we were able to create the exploration robot in a fairly short time.

While it was still embarrassing how limited its functions were to be considered a robot,

at least it had all the necessary functions for exploration.

It could move around obstacles and automatically record what was going on.

“Phew… Go well, ‘Pix’s best friend’.”

Thus, we named the completed exploration robot ‘Pix’s best friend’.

Pix got upset, saying there was no way that dumb machine could be his friend, but nevertheless, his friend steadily advanced and eventually entered the Sea Wall.

The video transmission magical orb embedded inside started relaying the situation inside in real-time.

-…Pow!

However, the transmission cut off shortly after.

As though the signals were being blocked, the connection between the orb inside the robot and the transmission orb in the meeting room was severed.

‘It’s still moving.’

However, the exploration robot I created wasn’t merely remote-controlled.

I had programmed it to continue moving until it reached solid ground on the opposite side.

‘Please, throw me out.’

Now, all that was left was for the Sea Wall to mistake my exploration robot for a human and fling it outside.

Though the robot would surely be destroyed upon being thrown, the specially reinforced video transmission orb inside would remain intact, allowing us to see what was recorded inside.

‘Please, mistake me for a human!’

To this end, I programmed the robot’s movements to mimic those of a human.

Moreover, I also programmed it to carry out functions similar to ‘underwater breathing’.

“Falling!”

And as a result,

we succeeded in tricking the Sea Wall.

The ‘Pix’s friend’ recorded everything inside before being expelled outside the wall.

I grasped the video recording orb that was rolling around in the wreckage.

Now it was time to find out what had been recorded inside.

 

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