Now behind the bear, Darius quickly opened his Inventory and took out the unused spell manual as well as the python fang.

[Would you like to change the empty spell manual into a small fireball spell manual? This will cost 5 Conversion Points.]

[Would you like to change the Reticulated Python fang into a small teleportation scroll? This will cost 3 Conversion Points.]

Darius immediately assented to both. Since midnight had already passed, his points had naturally refreshed, meaning that he had 10 of them at his disposal.

Without wasting time, both items transformed into the final versions he desired. The glowing spell manual shook a little, its cover and spine changed to a bright red color while its pages emitted a low heat that was comfortable to the touch.

The fang also grew in shape until it became a roll of parchment that radiated greyish-black energy. Darius quickly inspected them both as the Grey Bear began to turn around.

[Ember Spell - Manual

Durability: 10/10

Description: Contained within is the required knowledge to cast the simplest spell of the fire element, Ember. Due to the high quality of the material and the penmanship, the success chance of learning the spell is increased by 100% while the effectiveness of the spell is increased by 500%.]

[Short Warp - Scroll

Durability: 25/25

Description: Travel instantly between two separate locations. The maximum travel distance is 25 kilometers.]

Darius was greatly reassured after he saw the scroll's description, as it would be his getaway method in case things went sour. Right now, he wanted to fight against this bear for it would be a good chance to learn more about the methods of spell combat as well as the different tiers of experience gain.

Darius held the Ember spell manual as the Grey Bear began its charge once again.

[Detected spellbook. Would you like to learn its contents?

Warning: The spellbook will be destroyed upon using this method! Continue?]

Darius hastily consented and saw the large book melt into a reddish slush that poured through his ears and flowed into his brain.

[Ember - Level 1 Spell

Cost: 1 MP

Description: Send out a shower of fire that burns all foes within range. This deals 5% fire damage.]

For a split second, Darius became dazed as the knowledge assimilated with his brain and memories, turning him from someone who had just heard the spell name to someone who had spent months practicing it to perfection.

Unfortunately, that split second was all the Grey Bear needed to reach Darius, where he was promptly swatted away with its large paw. The poor fellow was sent flying, his back whomping into one of the trees that had formed the edge of the unnamed forest.

Darius gasped for air as his lungs had been emptied by the hit and subsequent crash, his struggled breathing yielding some spurts of blood from internal bleeding.

[You have suffered 34 points of damage!]

[You have been inflicted with the 'Mild Hemorrhage' status effect.

Effect; -0.1 HP per second for 10 seconds.]

[You have been inflicted with the 'Mild Fractures' status effect.

Effect; -2 points in Strength and Agility for 1 hour!]

Darius skimmed through the notifications with his partially stunned mind. As a person who had never truly gotten into a fight himself, the immense pain and trauma from the bear's 'love tap' had sent him into a slight shock.

However, Darius was able to shake it off rather quickly, not because he had overcome it, but because of his high Intellect stat increasing his mental faculties.

Just in time to roll away from the Grey Bear's follow-up charge, which would have otherwise crushed him against the tree. Instead, it was now the Grey Bear who had smashed headfirst into the very same evergreen and cried out in pain.

It had visibly harmed itself, its head bleeding profusely from the collision, and judging by the shaking of his head it must have gotten at least a mild concussion.

Darius thanked his lucky stars for this short break, as he slowly and shakily rose to his feet, paling from the pain of his slightly broken ribs rubbing against each other and his abdomen feeling as if someone had cut it open with a knife.

He first checked the remaining HP of the Grey Bear as well as himself.

[Grey Bear - Level 3 Beast

HP: 10/20 MP: 0/2]

It appeared that the ursine had used up his mana to empower his charge. No wonder, the collision had really harmed enough to make it lose 5 HP, which was equivalent to Darius' previous efforts.

[Darius Stone - Level 1 Itemancer

HP: 15/49 MP: 18/21]

He was not doing so good himself, left with less than one-third of his initial HP. Fortunately, he still had more than enough mana to spam the dazed Grey Bear to the next life.

Darius had no sympathy for his prey and alternated between casting Ember to increase the Grey Bear's agony as he showered it in scorching flame and used Sparks to singe its fur, as well as to prolong its daze.

The Grey Bear was unfairly bombarded to death by a barrage of low-level spells that should have required a casting-time or chanting if it had been any other mage.

The bear let out a dying roar and stayed down, its scorched body looking and definitely smelling worse than the Wild Boar or Reticulated Python's corpse. In fact, one could argue that the two of them had gotten the bigger end of the stick.

The moment the Grey Bear died, Darius received the rewards for his struggle.

[You have gained 80 EXP, 10 Bronze Ando Coins, and 1 Common Health Potion.]

Darius limped over to a tree and propped his body against it as he slid to the ground. He then focused more on what he had achieved, pondering what to do next when more screens came up before him.

[Congratulations! You have reached Level 2!

You have gained 5 Ability Points and 3 Skill Points to spend as you wish!]