Reaching the Magic Crystal Cannon's control platform, Robson was struck by an unprecedented feeling of familiarity.
"Quick, load the Magic Crystals and start charging!" Robson commanded those below him.
"Huh? You really know how to operate it?" Baron Oli exclaimed from below, shocked.
"What are you standing there stunned for? Hurry up and charge it!" Baron Oli commanded his aide.
The aide snapped out of it and hurriedly began tossing Magic Crystals into the Magic Crystal Cannon.
"Alright, that's enough!" Robson stopped the aide from adding more Magic Crystals when he saw the cannon's energy level reach an optimal point.
With that, Robson put his eye to the Magic Crystal Cannon's sight, aiming at the enemy cannon across the field.
Because the Beastmen's Magic Crystal Cannons were so crudely made, they had to get very close to the city wall to be effective. This distance gave Robson just the opening he needed.
Robson pulled the lever. The Magic Crystals began to convert into blue energy within the cannon. As the Energy Ball coalesced, a tremendous roar erupted and a blue sphere of light shot out from the muzzle.
The Energy Ball flew with incredible speed, landing about ten meters behind the enemy Magic Crystal Cannon.
'Huh? A miss?' Robson was a little surprised. On second thought, it probably wasn't his fault. 'The main issue is this Magic Crystal Cannon's lack of precision. I just need to get used to it.'
And that was indeed the case. Even Magic Crystal Cannons crafted by the Mountain Dwarves of the Eastern Mountain Range had a margin of error.
'No assembly lines, no machine tools... I guess this is how it is.'
As Robson thought this, he suddenly realized he might have just stumbled upon a business opportunity.
Meanwhile, Baron Oli stood to the side, dumbfounded. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
....
"Where did that shot come from?!" General Dor roared, struggling to his feet, his body drenched in blood.
Moments ago, he had been behind a Magic Crystal Cannon directing the gunners. Suddenly, an Energy Ball had flown in, landing just five meters away from him.
If he hadn't sensed the danger in time and immediately activated his Fighting Qi Body Protection, he would have been severely injured, if not killed outright.
No one who had yet to reach the Legendary rank would dare to withstand a blast from a Magic Crystal Cannon with their own body.
"I think it came from the one in the middle," said Eric of the Wolf Race, who was at Dor's side.
Dor shot a venomous glare at the middle Magic Cannon on the opposing wall, then bellowed at those around him.
"What are you gaping at? Return fire! All sixteen cannons, aim for that one Magic Crystal Cannon! Take it down!" General Dor roared.
"Yes, sir." Eric nodded and turned to give the order to the other Beastman Gunners.
A short while later, the muzzles of the Beastmen's sixteen Magic Crystal Cannons lit up in succession. Sixteen massive Energy Balls once again illuminated the entire sky.
Accompanied by the sound of the Energy Balls tearing through the air, seven of them fell short before even reaching the wall. One even exploded amidst a crowd of goblins.
The other nine missed without exception.
The area around the central cannon emplacement was a total mess, but the emplacement itself was completely untouched.
"What the hell are they doing?! Take this bunch of good-for-nothings and feed them to the wolves!" Dor bellowed.
Eric flinched and stepped forward to explain.
"General, this group of Beastman Gunners was sent by the Fourth Prince to support us. The Empire spent a fortune training them," Eric advised. He knew the general's threat was likely not a joke; when he got mad, he was capable of anything.
"You think I don't know that?!" Dor roared.
Eric continued to shrink back, tucking in his wolfish neck.
Dor calmed down after a moment. He might be hot-tempered, but he wasn't stupid. This group of skilled personnel was a priceless asset back home.
"Forget about him. Continue..."
BOOM!
Dor had been about to give up, but before he could finish his order, the enemy's Magic Crystal Cannon fired another Energy Ball, which slammed into the ground near him.
This time, Dor didn't have time to activate his Fighting Spirit Shield and had to take the blast with his Golden Tier body. He was thrown several meters, and his insides felt like they were churning.
"General? General, are you alright?" Eric rushed forward to check on Dor.
"This is outrageous! Fire back! Give them hell!" Dor roared.
....
'Missed again?'
The first miss was understandable, but missing a second time was a little embarrassing for Robson.
Baron Oli, however, was staring in disbelief. In all his time on the wall, he had never seen a gunner shoot with such accuracy.
'A margin of error of less than ten meters... Given the destructive power of a Magic Crystal Cannon, that's already terrifyingly precise.'
"What are you gawking at? Keep loading!" Baron Oli snapped at the aide.
The aide nodded frantically, clearly as stunned as the baron.
Once the Magic Crystals were charged, Robson took aim at the same spot. Now more familiar with the weapon, his gunnery was clearly far more refined. With a single shot, he blew the enemy Magic Crystal Cannon Team to kingdom come.
"Ding! You have killed 6 Beastman Gunners, 3 Beastman Nobles, and 11 Beastman Warriors with a Magic Crystal Cannon. +1200 Experience."
"Ding! Your Cultivation Experience has increased by 120."
'Whoa!' For a second, Robson couldn't believe what he was hearing. 'I can get experience this fast with a Magic Crystal Cannon?'
He completely ignored the part about Cultivation Experience.
He wasn't sure if his breathing technique was too primitive, but ever since reaching the Silver tier, he found his cultivation progress slowing to a crawl. At this rate, who knew when he would ever break through to the Gold tier.
Breaking through to the Gold tier would cause an earth-shattering transformation in one's body...
But these weren't things Robson should be thinking about now. He needed to pick off all the enemy Magic Crystal Cannons, or else even the thickest walls wouldn't withstand their bombardment for long.
Without hesitation, Robson immediately found his next target.
With the previous three shots as practice, Robson's aim had improved significantly. This time, he scored a direct hit on the first try. It even seemed to have detonated their Magic Crystal storage.
Robson's cannon roared again and again. Eventually, he started to find it a bit strange. 'I've been hitting them this hard, so why aren't they targeting me?'
...
"Not a single hit! What the hell are you useless fools doing?! To the wolves! Feed them all to the wolves!" This time, Dor was truly seeing red.
His side was firing with sixteen cannons, and not a single shot could hit the mark.
Meanwhile, the enemy had just one cannon, and it was picking off his gunners one by one, sending them to kingdom come.
"General, we should retreat for now. We can't sustain these kinds of losses," Eric pleaded from the side.
Dor took several deep breaths. 'Since fighting my way out of the Beastman Grassland, have I ever not won a resounding victory? When have I ever been this humiliated?'
"No! You! Take the Werewolf Corps and advance!" Dor commanded.
"Huh? Me?" Eric pointed at himself, unable to believe it.
"Stop wasting time! Go!"
Dor gave Eric an angry kick. Though extremely reluctant, Eric finally headed for his own barracks to organize the attack.
Dor stared at the cannon in the center of the wall, his eyes filled with venom.
....
On the city wall, Robson had naturally noticed the activity in the enemy camp.
'It's obvious my aim is so good it's enraged their commander. Now they're getting serious!'
'So you're a sore loser, huh?'