"The distance is too far, this is to itch it!" Hilton said as he pulled out an arrow and drew the bowstring taut. The giant bear was already charging towards them, its massive body brimming with strength, covering a distance of over ten meters in the blink of an eye.

"Hold steady, Hilton, we still have three chances with the arrows! Aim for its eyes!" But before he could finish speaking, an arrow shot out from behind the group, striking the bear's soft nose right in the middle. The arrow, although only half the length of a forearm, turned out to be made entirely of iron. It penetrated almost halfway into the bear's body, causing blood to gush out. The enormous creature let out a painful roar and veered to the side. Rodney and his two companions hastily released their own arrows, hitting the target but causing little harm.

Meanwhile, Norfy, desperately pressing down on the handle and struggling, managed to load the second arrow. He lifted the crossbow, pressed it against his shoulder, and aimed with one eye at the bear, which was circling around. He released another arrow, hitting the neck this time, but the damage seemed slightly less severe. The bear's roar grew even more furious.

"So accurate?" Hilton exclaimed, looking at Norfy who was still cocking the crossbow. In less than five seconds, he had managed to shoot another arrow, once again hitting the bear's neck, although the damage appeared to be slightly less. However, the young boy seemed exhausted and his cocking motion became more difficult.

Seeing this, Rodney unexpectedly threw down his bow and snatched the crossbow from his son. He smoothly and effortlessly pressed and released the handle, then ran a distance to the side, knelt down, and steady shot another arrow. This time, the iron arrow pierced straight into the bear's massive cheek. But the bear had now charged within a hundred meters.

Rodney remained calm and composed, steadily pulling the trigger, aiming and shooting, cocking and aiming. As the distance between them closed, the crossbow arrows became more accurate and powerful. From a distance of fifty meters, he shot a total of four arrows, each piercing deeply into the bear's skull. Rodney jumped up and, clenching his teeth, cocked another arrow. He leapt and dodged the approaching Magical Beast, pulling the trigger in midair. The dull sound of breaking the air resounded alongside the roar of the Magical Beast.

But even Rodney was starting to struggle. His left hand began to weaken, and he shouted, "Why is cocking so heavy!"

Nevertheless, he gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger, landed, took a few steps back, lifted the crossbow, and aimed at the bear's lifted jawbone. He squeezed the trigger and rolled to dodge the giant paw.

"Help!! Niemann! Don't just stand there! Help!!" Hilton raised his bow and rushed forward. At this moment, the bear's head was already pierced by five or six iron arrows, blood flowing incessantly, an especially eerie sight.

Rodney was now finding it difficult to cock the crossbow, but just as he pulled the handle, he heard the sound of wood breaking. Panicking, he looked down and saw that the wooden arm of the crossbow had snapped, revealing the two pieces of steel plate embedded in the wood.

"It's still usable! It can still be used!" Norfy shouted. But even if it couldn't be used, Rodney no longer cared. He cocked the arrow again, aimed at the bear's forehead which was now close at hand, and shot the final arrow.

The enormous creature finally ceased its angry attacks and crashed to the ground. Rodney, who was now sitting on the ground, dropped his weapon in exhaustion. He felt as if he had entered another world – he had actually taken down a Magical Beast!

Hilton examined the bear's body and looked at the broken crossbow on the ground, his eyes filled with a complex expression.

"Brain matter is oozing out, the skull is completely shattered. Did you make this crossbow yourself? These are steel pieces, not ordinary iron. The iron plates are so polished." He picked up the damaged crossbow and carefully examined this peculiar weapon. Unlike the commonly used strong crossbows, this one was made of steel. The longer and shorter steel plates were neatly stacked together, with small holes punched on the longer piece, fixed with nail-like objects. Even the bowstring was not made of the usual tendon or cowhide; it was made of thin steel wires.

"Steel can also be used to make a crossbow? Isn't it too hard and prone to breaking? And how do you cock it?" Norfy helped his still-astonished father up and took his weapon from Hilton's hands, cocking the lever and asking."If the heat treatment is done properly, it can be made into pseudo spring steel. It might be just usable if the thickness is suitable. The lever arm of this handle is about one to eight, so it only takes one-eighth of the force to pull it four times to string the bow."

As he spoke, he took out another set of arrow quivers and triggers from his backpack. However, inside were wooden arrows, and the trigger's bowstring latch was much closer to the front than it is now.

"If it weren't for encountering Magical Beasts, I wouldn't need to use these. Halfway tension on the bowstring would be sufficient."

But Hilton and Niemann seemed completely clueless about what Norfy was talking about, looking utterly confused.

"What is spring steel? And what is heat treatment? And what is a lever arm?"

Niemann hesitated and asked Hilton in a low voice. He was not well-educated and had never heard of these things before.

But Hilton could only shake his head. He was also not well-read.

The people who had just scattered and fled back came running again. It seemed like they had been watching from a safe distance all along. But it was normal; no matter which world, everyone loves to watch a good show, especially if they have melon seeds.

"Dad, are you okay?"

Norfy walked to Rodney's side and looked at him, still in a state of shock.

"Oh, I'm fine, son. Your crossbow is really powerful! Thanks to it this time, otherwise the four of us would have been done for."

He walked over to the body of the giant bear and kicked its massive head with his foot, but there was no response.

"Son, you mentioned before that you wanted to build a blast furnace and a steelmaking furnace?"

Norfy's eyes suddenly lit up. Although his father saw the benefits of the steam engine, he had never approved of the steel mill. Is he finally planning to agree now?

Rodney took the damaged crossbow from Norfy's hand and looked at the two thin steel plates inside, nodding.

"It's really something. If I had such a weapon on the battlefield back then, I could have killed another 72 barbarians!"

After saying that, he handed the crossbow back to Norfy and said triumphantly.

"Let's build a steel mill! Hilton, do you remember that scoundrel Sodis?"

After hearing this, Hilton and Niemann seemed to have guessed something, and a smile appeared on their faces.

"Of course, I remember. That scumbag not only owes you his life but also borrowed three lives from you to climb the ranks."

Rodney also laughed heartily.

"Yeah, he's a real asshole! I heard he's a big-shot in the army now?"

Niemann also said with a smile.

"Yeah, a big-shot. This kid has a lot of connections. He's been sending money up the ladder for so many years, and now he's a procurement officer specializing in military weapons. He's making good money!"

"Alright, when we go back this time, bring a few crossbows for him and see if he's willing to give us some face and take care of our business! Even if he has money, we'll make some together, the three of us!"