Chapter 66 -66-The Imprisoned Giant Python
Caught off guard, John was swallowed whole by the Giant Python that had suddenly burst out of the sea.
Wrapped up together with dozens of tons of seawater, his body was dragged straight down to the seabed.
Because everything had happened in the blink of an eye,
John had no time to react at all.
By the time he came to his senses, he was already inside the Giant Python’s mouth.
The Giant Python carried him all the way to the ocean floor.
The terrifying pressure of the seawater kept squeezing his body from all sides.
Worse still, because John did not have Drowning Resistance,
he was now stuck in a drowning state.
[-6787!]
[-6787!]
[-6787!]
At such a deep seabed, combined with drowning damage,
John was taking 6,787 damage per second.
If he remained here at the bottom of the sea, trapped in a drowning state,
then even with his unlimited recovery ability, problems would eventually arise sooner or later.
"This is bad. There’s no room to dodge here."
While drowning, no matter where John tried to move, he would continue taking damage.
And right now, inside the Giant Python’s mouth, he could not find any way to break free and return to the surface.
For one of the rare times in his life, a trace of panic surfaced in John’s heart.
Just then—
Whoosh!
The Giant Python suddenly spat him out.
John immediately activated divine light to illuminate his surroundings.
To his surprise,
after being spat out, he had actually escaped the drowning state.
John looked around and discovered that he was inside an underwater hollow cavity.
The cavity contained enough air, which was why he had been freed from the drowning state.
However, outside the hollow cavity was endless seawater as dark as ink.
The moment he stepped out of the cavity—or even lost access to the air within it—
John would immediately enter the drowning state again.
This feeling of being imprisoned filled John with fury.
His gaze instantly locked onto the Giant Python.
"You dared ambush me? You’re asking to die!"
John’s eyes turned icy as he directly drew Bloodfang.
Since this Giant Python had foolishly come looking for death on its own, he had no objection to sending it to the grave early.
Maybe he could even plunder Drowning Resistance from it.
Just as John was about to make his move,
the Giant Python’s enormous body suddenly crashed down onto the seabed like a small mountain.
Its head buried itself deep into the sand and mud as it let out a muffled voice.
"I beg Your Excellency to take action and free me from this place!
If I can leave, I am willing to follow you for all eternity."
Hearing the Giant Python speak,
John was instantly stunned.
What was going on?
Since when could this Giant Python talk?!
Somewhat surprised, he asked, "What exactly do you mean by that?"
The Giant Python lifted its head out of the mud.
It looked at John with pleading eyes.
"My lord, I have already been imprisoned here for nearly a thousand years.
Throughout these thousand years, I have constantly suffered torment at the hands of those madmen.
I tried to escape many times, but I do not know what curse those lunatics placed on me—I have never been able to break free.
Just now, when I saw you suddenly appear here,
and sensed that you seemed to carry the bloodline of the dragon race,
I thought that a powerful being like you might be able to break the curse those lunatics placed on me.
That is why I rashly made a move, hoping you could take me away from this place!"
After listening to the Giant Python’s explanation,
a look of shock appeared on John’s face.
"You’ve been imprisoned here by them for nearly a thousand years?
Then doesn’t that make you one of the Primordial Divine Beasts?"
The era a thousand years ago was known as the Primordial Age.
For this Giant Python to have been imprisoned here for a thousand years meant that it had once been a famous and mighty divine beast of that ancient era.
Only now, after being confined at the bottom of the sea for so long, its scales had become dull and lusterless, and there was no longer any sign of the majesty expected of a divine beast.
The Giant Python nodded bitterly.
"A thousand years ago, I was imprisoned here by the founder of Scholars’ City, who used a forbidden spell.
My level was suppressed, leaving me powerless to escape."
By now, John’s heart was already churning with towering waves.
He had never imagined that beneath the radiant and elegant exterior of Scholars’ City,
such a dark history could be hidden.
John’s eyes flickered.
"Why did they imprison you here?"
When the Giant Python spoke of this, its voice carried a few more traces of hatred.
"They are demons through and through.
On the surface, Scholars’ City claims to gather students from all the great empires for learning and exchange.
But in truth, behind the scenes, they collude with the militaries of those empires.
They specialize in providing all kinds of war-related technology and talent to the different empires!
Those so-called teachers are nothing but arms dealers profiting from war!
To maintain their lead in military technology, they need massive amounts of experimentation and research.
And because I possess infinite regenerative ability, I naturally became one of their research subjects.
Over these thousand years of imprisonment, I have lost count of how many times I have been gravely wounded.
And under the influence of the forbidden spell, I have also been forced to guard this sinful island of Scholars’ City for them!
I cannot move even half an inch away.
My lord, the suffering I have endured, the hatred I bear—it can no longer be described with words!"
Once these hidden secrets were revealed, John was so shocked he could barely speak.
He had never imagined that this seemingly neutral force known as Scholars’ City
was actually a gathering place for arms merchants behind the scenes.
They had even captured a Primordial Divine Beast to use as an experimental subject.
When it came to inhuman cruelty, they were almost on par with Zone 5 from his previous life.
At that moment, the Giant Python looked at John.
"My lord, you carry the bloodline of dragons.
And I can sense that your strength surpasses that of anyone within Scholars’ City.
If you are willing to take me away from this place, I am willing to become your Contract Beast!
I have waited a thousand years for this day.
I beg you, my lord—please grant me deliverance and lead me out of this sea of suffering!"
Looking into the Giant Python’s pleading eyes, and hearing its promise that it was willing to become his Contract Beast,
John found himself tempted.
A Contract Beast was different from a pet.
It was also different from the servants and slaves controlled by the Beast Tamer class.
It was an extremely special beast-contract system.
A Beast Tamer invited magical beasts into a contract.
A Contract Beast, however, was the reverse.
It was the magical beast that requested a contract from the player.
Once the contract was successfully formed,
the player could freely share all of the Contract Beast’s skills and talents without cost.
And the Contract Beast was required to contribute all of its resources to the player—
even its life.
Generally speaking, a Contract Beast would only appear in the case of a magical beast that had grown up alongside a player since childhood.
However, the advantage of becoming a Contract Beast was that it could receive the protection of the player’s bloodline.
As long as the contract succeeded,
all curses and backlash effects after the contract would become ineffective against it.
For this Giant Python to be willing to become John’s Contract Beast just to escape the seal,
it was obvious that the people of Scholars’ City had tormented it terribly over these thousand years.
Getting a Primordial Divine Beast as a Contract Beast for free, with no downside whatsoever to himself—
of course John was willing.
He immediately said, "Fine. I accept your terms."
At these words, joy burst into the Giant Python’s eyes, and it repeatedly gave thanks.
"Thank you, my lord, for granting my wish!"