Wizard: I'm leveling up by AFK in another world

"This is the Siren's Howl," one of the job applicants whispered. "When that giant clam is attacked, it releases a mental shock. If you lose consciousness underwater, you're done for..."

The next few people performed slightly better.

One of them managed to pry open the giant clam, but was stunned by a second, stronger shock as he reached for the pearl.

The other one managed to retrieve a pearl, but nearly drowned during the ascent due to mental confusion.

The proctor stood by the pool with his hands behind his back, looking rather grim.

The recruitment of core data collectors has been underway for almost a month, and not a single day has met the required standards.

But this is the first time it has been as bleak as it is today.

The few who successfully harvested them clearly had prior intelligence and specifically targeted the weaker giant clams.

These people can succeed in the pool, but they'll be completely lost in the deep sea.

Just then, a figure that had just fallen into the water caught the proctor's attention.

The person appeared to be rather thin, and after falling into the water, he did not linger and swam straight away into the distance.

In the direction he was swimming, lurked a creature that was noticeably larger than the other giant clams, its shell even covered with dark green moss.

Clearly, this giant clam has remained unopened since it sank into the water a month ago.

"There are actually people like this..." The proctor was somewhat surprised.

This giant clam is the highest grade one in the pool, and it's estimated that it has already reached the threshold of becoming a high-level magical beast.

Because it was the furthest away and looked distinctly different from other giant clams, no applicant ever chose it.

Surprisingly, on this day when the proctors are most disappointed, someone actually chose to challenge it.

The job applicants in line also noticed this and gasped in surprise.

Then silence fell over the shore again. All eyes were fixed on the thin figure in the water, anticipating his next move.

Claire swam to the giant clam and waited for a moment.

Within the view provided by the panel, among the dozens of giant tidal clams in the entire pool, only the largest one shimmers with a light spot representing the "essence of the primordial tides".

Claire guessed that this was most likely because the pearls collected by other giant tidal clams had already been harvested, and what was lying in the shell now was probably some kind of imitation.

He naturally understood why only the largest one retained the true essence of the original tides.

If I can get this big guy, I should have a chance to get a raise, right?

Claire was lost in thought as she felt the extremely faint rhythmic opening and closing of the giant clam's shell.

According to the collection method provided on the panel, there is a special ganglion beneath the fleshy column of the Tidal Giant Clam.

During the window period when the giant clam expands to exchange water, inserting a tool into the ganglion and injecting magic to induce vibrations at a specified frequency can deceive the giant clam's defense mechanism and induce it to open voluntarily.

Claire chose the fishbone knife that old Jack had given her.

He didn't rush to make a move, but patiently sensed the movements of the giant tidal clam.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

It's now!

Just as the giant tidal clam slightly opened a crack, preparing to suck in water, Claire's fishbone knife flashed like lightning and swiftly plunged into the crack!

A gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd on the shore.

"What is he doing?!"

"Are you crazy? Stabbing someone directly into a crevice with a knife? You've got a death wish!"

"Turns out, he's just a clueless brute..."

However, the angry howl of the giant tidal clam that everyone expected did not occur.

Seeing the giant clam and the young man living peacefully together underwater in a strange way, people were first stunned, and then their faces showed shock.

"No siren's howl was triggered? How is that possible!"

"Could this big guy be dead? It's not reacting at all!"

"It's also possible that we're seeing things, and the knife hasn't actually been inserted yet."

Underwater, Claire held her breath and steadied her wrist.

The fishbone knife stopped at just the right depth, piercing the nerve ganglion without stimulating other parts of the body.

Claire channeled her magic, using the fishbone knife to slowly inject it into the giant clam's nerve ganglia.

Soon, the giant clam's taut fleshy column gradually relaxed, and then, to the astonishment of the people on the shore, it slowly opened its shell.

A pure white bead, about the size of a fist and radiating a captivating glow, lay quietly in the center of the pink, soft flesh.

Claire reached in and took out the pearl, pulled out the fishbone knife, and with a push of her legs, swam towards the surface of the water.

Behind him, the giant tidal clam still had its mouth wide open, and it lazily closed it after a while, as if it had no idea that its treasure had been "stolen".

Whoosh!

Water splashed everywhere as Claire climbed ashore, clutching the beautiful, primal tidal essence in her hand.

The backyard was quiet.

Whether they were curious or disdainful before, the applicants stared at Claire with their mouths agape, as if they had seen a ghost.

In their eyes, Claire simply plunged a knife in, and the giant tidal clam obediently opened its mouth and offered up its pearl.

The aloof proctor was the first to react.

He strode forward, snatched the pearl from Claire's hand to examine it, and then looked at the giant tidal clam quietly basking in the sun at the bottom of the water.

"The Siren's Howl wasn't triggered..." The proctor looked up, scrutinizing Claire carefully. "You've done this before?"

As someone who had participated in the harvesting work before, he knew that many veterans had their own unique methods and experiences to find the weaknesses of the Tide Giant Clam and complete the harvesting without triggering the Siren's Howl.

Alternatively, one could use some powerful witchcraft to directly suppress the magical activity of the Tidal Giant Clam.

Claire looked too young and didn't seem like a genius wizard apprentice with powerful magic.

“Some people in my family have always made a living this way,” Claire continued. “I’ve learned a few tricks, and I’m lucky to be able to use them here.”

"You did very well." The proctor nodded.

He didn't care whether what Claire said was true or not.

For him, after nearly a month of working on the recruitment task, he finally found a promising candidate who could boost his performance, and keeping him was the most important thing.

He called his assistant to help keep watch and invited Claire back to his office.

"You're a beginner apprentice, right? How long is your probation period?"

"Yes, I have less than three months left."

"Three months..." The proctor thought for a moment and took out a piece of parchment from the drawer.

With a gentle tap of the wand on the parchment, lines of text appeared on it.

"I'll give you a one-month trial period first. After that, based on your performance and willingness, we'll renegotiate a new contract." The proctor pushed the parchment filled with words in front of Claire.

Claire first used her mental power to check the contract, confirming that it bore the emblem of the spirit world, before reading the text on it.

According to the contract, during the one-month probationary period, there will be one day off every ten days.

After a month of work, Claire received a base salary of twenty-five magic stones, plus a performance bonus capped at ten magic stones.

At the same time, as long as Claire can achieve the performance of five magic stones and is willing to renew her contract, the company will offer her a formal employee contract with double the base salary.

According to the probation officer, Claire's probationary period benefits were basically the same as those of other applicants after they were hired as regular employees.