Link had carefully deliberated before making this combination.
There were three reasons:
Firstly, the benefits of the "Mind Closure Technique" were evident, which warranted full use of "Pomona Sprout's Botany Talent".
Secondly, whether they were offensive or defensive, the damage conjured or deflected by Zero Ring witchcraft wasn't considered high. Numerous Rune Objects could serve a similar purpose. It wasn't vital to learn them at this stage, as their benefits were minimal.
Lastly, it was sustainable and could help earn Magic Stones.
The "forum" had a "Work-Study" section where recruitment notices for part-time jobs were posted.
When Link was tired from studying, he would occasionally "surf" the "forum" to relax. It was there that he saw job posts from various botanical gardens in the academy recruiting part-time workers for seed cultivation and plant care.
Link was tempted at that point.
This kind of job could not only verify the knowledge he'd learned and connect theory with practice but also earn Magic Stones. It was practically perfect, except for the fact that Link hadn't mastered any related witchcraft to apply for the job.
Thereby, this is how Link made this choice.
Otherwise, given Link's steady nature, he would have chosen two defensive witchcraft in order to improve his survivability.
After securing the scrolls, Link left the Witchcraft Trade Center.
Instead of heading straight to the academic building, he first went to the nearby library to spend some time.
He came out so early precisely because he didn't want people to see him or at least didn't want too many people to spot him.
Now that he was walking from here to the academic building, chances were that people would guess he had just come out of the Witchcraft Trade Center.
Not that this was something shameful, but Link just wanted to keep a low profile.
After all, most of the First Rank Wizard Apprentices with fifth-tier qualifications hadn't yet announced their promotions. If people found out that Link, despite his intermediate fourth-tier qualification, had outshone them by ranking up to a First Rank Apprentice first, it would likely stir up unnecessary trouble.
Less trouble was always best, for a quieter life.
Having spent some time at the library, Link got to the classroom around the same time as usual.
Jasmine was already inside waiting.
Ever since school started, this was the first time she had arrived before Link.
Interest in gossip, indeed, was the most powerful motivator for humans. Discipline barely entered into it.
After a brief conversation in which he informed Jasmine of his choices, Link stopped talking.
There was nothing significant to discuss. Link hadn't even unsealed the scroll and wasn't very sure about the form of the Magic Blueprint, let alone sharing his insights.
Classes continued as usual and he spent his usual time in the library. He returned to the dormitory at night.
Despite having acquired the Magic Blueprints, Link did not demonstrate impatience and maintained the routine he had established over the month.
In response to major events, one must hold tranquility deep within.
Once in his room and feeling centered, Link took out the scroll inscribed with the secondary Misty Rain Technique Magic Blueprint and unsealed it with spiritual power in a specific manner.
A three-dimensional structure constructed from two intersecting concentric circles gradually appeared in Link's Sea of Consciousness.
Upon closer inspection, Link found that all essential elements, the Will Rune, Elemental Rune, and Rule Rune, were all present.
The Will Rune, "Transformation", occupied the central position. It formed a circular plane in the horizontal direction with the Elemental Runes "Water Element Affinity" and "Water Element Cohesion", and a circular plane in the sagittal direction with the Rule Runes "Temperature Control" and "Conversion between Liquid and Gaseous State of Water".
The vertical intersection of the two circles resulted in the secondary Misty Rain Technique Magic model.
Since it was just a Zero Ring witchcraft, this Magic model was not complex.
Apprentices who had experience with meditation already had a fair amount of practice with forming three-dimensional structures from multiple Runes.
Therefore, the difficulty of forming a Magic model did not lie in its creation, but in the knowledge involved.
For example, in the case of the secondary Misty Rain Technique. To construct the Magic model in their Sea of Consciousness, apprentices first had to understand the different states of water and the mechanisms of their transformations. Secondly, they needed to know how fog and rain formed and dissipated in nature. Lastly, they had to comprehend why heavy fog could obscure vision and cause disorientation, and how rainwater contributed to plant growth.
Many of these aspects could not simply be learned from books, but also required observation of natural phenomena, analyzing and summarizing the findings, and performing experiments for hands-on experience and comprehension.
Once they understood these natural phenomena and mastered the knowledge, outlining the Rule Runes would be easy and the construction of the Magic model would flow smoothly.
The secondary Misty Rain Technique was functional witchcraft that lacked destructive power, which meant it was not necessary to restrict its use to the Magic Testing Room.
Link activated several commands on his personal intelligent device, and the room instantly switched into experimental mode, initiating the free protective screen available four times per semester.
A faint light enveloped the walls, floor, ceiling, and furniture of the room.
With no worries, Link attempted to construct the Magic model of the secondary Misty Rain Technique. There were no issues in outlining the Will Rune, Elemental Rune, or Rule Rune, but when the two concentric circles were about to intersect at a right angle, the Magic model suddenly collapsed.
After a careful analysis of the cause of the failure, Link concluded that the key issue was his lack of direct observation of the process of water evaporation into steam, and the subsequent condensation into mist or rain.
That was not a problem. He just needed to observe the natural process more often or conduct some simulation experiments to solve this.
Following this, Link took out the scroll with the Birth Induction Technique Magic Blueprint and unsealed it using his spiritual power in a certain manner.
A three-dimensional tree-like structure slowly emerged in his Sea of Consciousness.
The Will Rune, "Activation", forming the roots at the base. The Elemental Runes "Wood Element Affinity" and "Wood Element Gathering" forming the trunk and the Rule Runes "Sprouting" and "Growth" forming the branches.
There were no plant seeds or potted plants in the dormitory, so Link didn't attempt to construct the Magic model of the Birth Induction Technique.
With the Hall of Mind formed using the "Mind Closure Technique", Link had thoroughly remembered the Magic models of the secondary Misty Rain Technique and the Birth Induction Technique.
This saved him from the dilemma faced by other novices, who had to take out the scroll repeatedly for reference and memorization every time they learned witchcraft.
After securing the two scrolls, Link began his daily meditation.
Persistent effort yields success, accumulated work eventually leads to the sea.
The next day, before heading to the academic building, Link visited the experiment building.
After swiping his identity card to open a small Water System laboratory, Link familiarized himself with the operation procedures of various experimental equipment, and then started the highlight of the day, the formation and dissipation of mist and rain.
After a round of experiment, observation, and analysis, Link didn't care about whether his findings were enough to construct the secondary Misty Rain Technique Magic model, but instead opened another small Wood System laboratory.
The germination of seeds and the growth of plants also needed observation and analysis.