Ellie spent time reflecting to herself. It seemed that Professor Medik's teachings truly opened up a new world for her. She remembered dreaming of almost 10 different types of plants, all of which seemed to be running around her. If it hadn't been for her particular fondness for the purple mushroom at that time...she might have chosen that strange red flower instead.

    But anyway, according to the professor, it seemed that those plants wanted to bond with her. If the plants did not accept her, they would not respond no matter how many times her spirit touched them.

    As for the part where he said that every 1 level increase gave a chance to bond with a plant, it was just an incorrect procedure. The reason they used this standard was because at the same power level, they were not accepted. So, returning at a higher power level increased the chances of being accepted.

    "So, how many types of plants did you dream of, and which type accepted you?" Professor Medik brought Ellie's attention back. She hesitated for a moment before laughing shyly as she told her professor.

    She couldn't reveal the entire truth. If she could bond with more than 1 plant type, it might alarm the institution. So, intending not to draw too much attention, Ellie decided not to enter such dreams again until after she graduated, when she would try to bond with other plants. For now, the purple mushroom was enough.

    "I saw 2 types of plants in my dream," she replied.

    "Oh, two types? I thought so, you are indeed talented. I'm glad for you. After this, you must try to level up quickly, then come and get these magical scripts again for another trial."

    "Professor, where can these magical scripts be obtained?"

    "You can get them from me."

    "Uh, and outside? When I graduate and my power has just increased, where can I buy them?"

    "Oh, you're worried about that? Actually, they are sold in many places. The nobles like to use them first to test whether their children are worth sending here for education. But they cost more than 100 gold coins. I fear you might not be able to...Ah, right, I'll give them to you on graduation day. As a professor, I can withdraw many sheets for you."

    Professor Medik spoke kindly. Ellie felt profoundly grateful; if those were sold, he could indeed fetch 100 gold coins, but he planned to give them to her on graduation day.

    "Thank you very much, Professor," Ellie bowed in respect, but Professor Medik laughed.

    "Just make sure you graduate." His demeanor seemed slightly strange, especially when he said, "Make sure you graduate," his gaze somewhat sly.

    "Professor, you make it sound like graduating is quite difficult?" Ellie caught this peculiarity, which made her even more curious.

    "Huh? Did I say something that made you think that way?"

    "Yes, Professor, your words made me think that," Ellie replied persistently. The young professor pursed his lips, deep in thought. He truly didn't want to discourage this spirited young girl. However, letting it slide would likely lead to repeated mistakes.

    "Actually, over the past 5 years, no student from the botanical discipline has graduated. I'd like to have someone graduate and help me with my work, but ultimately, they all fail to meet the standards."

    "Why is that so, Professor? Isn't it that at the institute, students can grow plants to exchange for points?"

    "That's true, but do you think growing plants for points is enough to meet the graduation requirements? It's impossible. Even I have to undertake many missions before I can graduate."

    "So, does it mean only undertaking missions is enough?"

    "Well, I didn't say it absolutely like that. If you know how to cultivate rare herbs or other plants, it can still help. But not graduating isn't a problem either. The time you spend here is still very worthwhile. Meanwhile, if you have any doubts, you can always ask me. Think of it as receiving free lecture."

    Professor Medik offered consolation again, but his words, implying that Ellie had no chance of graduating, made her feel that she was not imagining things. It seemed that Professor Medik's “mouth” might easily cause him problems!

    "So, what plant have you bonded with? Try calling it out." The professor, who had a beautiful face, said when he saw that the atmosphere gradually turned awkward again.

    "Yes, sir," Ellie replied obediently with a smile, thinking of the cute purple mushroom in her heart before calling it forth.

    Professor Medik was about to intervene, but it was too late. Ellie had already called forth the plant using her green magic without any formalities.

    Ellie was a bit bewildered by the situation unfolding. Seeing her like this, Medik sighed helplessly and walked over to his desk, rummaging through the clutter to find a bottle of light blue potion. He grabbed it and tried to restore Ellie's senses.

    "Can you hear me? Drink this first." Ellie's face grew even more confused as she looked at the low-level magic restorative potion that the professor handed her, but it only made Medik realize that her situation was deteriorating.

    "Damn it! I'm really not cut out to be a professor. Suddenly asking a student to call out a bonded plant like this – do I want to kill the student? Look at her now; she’s practically becoming mentally unstable! I should have checked the power requirements for summoning that plant in her bond first, not just force her to use magic power to call her bonded plant out like this. If she didn’t have enough magic power, she could have died! Thankfully, she just lost her sanity."

    Professor Medik’s foul mouth was still the same. Hearing this, Ellie wanted to tell him that she hadn't lost her mind, but the information the beautiful-faced man provided was undeniably useful to her.

    It seemed that bonded plants couldn’t be summoned haphazardly. If the magic power was insufficient, it could fail to summon them, sometimes even harming the summoner!

    Ellie understood why many considered the botanic elemental power special but not very practical. The practice instructors' expressions clearly showed that they found her power less interesting compared to Nara's light elemental power, even though hers was of a lower level.

    The slender hand of the professor slowly pried open Ellie's mouth, expecting to administer a magic restorative potion to her. Ellie regained her senses after a moment of contemplation.

    "Um, Professor, I haven't lost my sanity," Ellie gestured to the beautiful professor to back off. Medik looked confused, his gaze still fixed on Ellie's freckled face as if asking for further explanation.

    She looked at the precious restorative potion in Professor Medik's hand before accepting it.

    "Thank you for the potion," Ellie gulped it down in one go. The chilling effect of the restorative potion made her smile, and that smile relieved Medik significantly.

    "You...aren't experiencing any abnormalities, are you?"

    "Yes, I'm perfectly fine."

    "That's very good," Professor Medik breathed a sigh of relief again, finally smiling. Ellie gazed admiringly at his almost divine-looking face. If it weren't for the older person looking her way, she might have spent her time just admiring his beautiful face.

    "I have something to tell you. For those whose powers have just awakened, it's normal not to be able to summon their bonded plants immediately. So, don't worry too much if you fail at first. It all depends on how strong your bonded plants are, which you can check in the library. If it's a common plant, I also have a personal journal with notes, which you can ask me about."

    “Just now, I was a bit too careless, so I asked you to summon the plant in your bond. I think you might need to practice using your power correctly in your first class before you can use your power stably. After that, you’ll be able to summon your own plant,” Professor Medik advised. Ellie nodded in understanding, trying not to glance at the tiny purple sparkles waving at her to avoid suspicion.

    "Do you remember which plant accepted you in your dream?"

    "Um, I remembered it was a mushroom," Ellie replied.

    "Oh, a mushroom then," Professor Medik looked a bit disheartened. He looked at Ellie with pity, as if she was another student doomed not to graduate and might soon be expelled from the institution.

    "You…might want to rest now. Once you formally start classes, you will receive a key to your own cultivation plot. In the meantime, save up some money so when you return to your village, you'll have some funds to start with," the young professor kindly suggested. After that, he returned to his work, realizing that this new student probably shouldn't be relied upon like the others.

    Ellie sighed, feeling sympathy for Medik. Despite being such an eloquent speaker, he had not a single assistant. Students with botanic elemental powers don’t graduate easily, making it challenging to become a teaching assistant as well. This character was just a supporting role, like herself, appearing in only 1 scene in the novel but significantly highlighting his uniqueness.

    Professor Medik was a legend, the only one to have graduated from the institute as a user of botanic elemental power in 20 years. Thus, the institution hired him as a permanent professor to assist students with similar powers, despite the likelihood of them not graduating.

    In the novel, he was the one who introduced the protagonists to the precious herb called Tezetrons after the heroine discovered that "Aman Setter," always cold and harsh, had turned sorrowful.

    Upon hearing that Aman’s elder brother desperately needed the Tezetrons plant, she visited the botanical department with her protagonists, guided by her friend. And there...Professor Medik’s mystique was fully unveiled, which even one of the heroes, the Sage, couldn’t match him in understanding the science of botanical magic.

    But that's a scenario for next year, her current priority was to understand the little purple mushroom spore.

    Ellie returned to her room from the information provided by the practice instructor. The scholarship student's building was an older brown color but compared to the dilapidated house where Ellie had lived, it seemed quite luxurious.