The Endless Witch's Miracle

"Listen, kid… you're great. You have limitless potential and any goal you set your mind to, you'll reach." My great-grandfather would always tell me. "But… There are steps to success. The first is belief and confidence, always hold your head high, James. Don't let anyone knock you down and keep you there."

Little me nodded with glowing eyes. He was my hero.

"After that, it is all about struggle. You have to go through physical and mental pain… especially if it is any goal worth reaching. You have to develop world-class physical and mental fortitude from the very beginning. Do not run from anything that is difficult… embrace it, embrace the challenge and run right through it. That's… the path to success!"

I had eaten these words up and believed them wholeheartedly for so many years… and it was all true.

"Kid, do you know what fortitude means?"

"Courage in pain or adversity." I replied.

"Yes… of course, you'd know, that's a definition straight from the dictionary. Now, the goal you set your mind to better be playing for the Red Devils when you grow up! Hahahahaha."

"I will… I'll be their striker!"

"Yes, you have the eyes of a striker, alright!" My great-grandfather agreed with a smile. "Chase that dream… don't ever let anyone stray you away, tell you you're not good enough and, most importantly… work for it!"

…

It was Sport's Day, my first in secondary school. The way it worked was that our school had five distinct houses, almost equally separating its students by their interests. Siblings would be brought into their older sibling's houses, though I didn't have any so I joined purely off of my interests. There was House Jordan (related to sports), House Da Vinci (related to art and all that creativity shit), House Turing (science, computer science and maths), House Tolkien (writing and english) and House Mozart (music, of course). They all had their own colours respectively; Red, Purple, Yellow, Blue and Green.

Now… not everyone went to the House that fit their interests. I, for instance, was put in House Turing (though I didn't complain too much, I loved wearing that yellow blazer). Sadly, House Turing had hardly any pretty girls in my year group. They were reserved for the other Houses. Fortunately, in the grand-scheme of things, the curriculum everyone learned wasn't different. We still had year groups which put us all together into classes regardless. The only difference was how we started the day with a tutor group which included only same-House members across Years 7-11. I had the great fortune of being in the same tutor group as Rokas which is why, despite being almost polar-opposites, we were cool.

Oh, there was a points system which Houses competed for, separate assemblies… and Sport's Day. Each student could put on their name for three separate events and compete for medals. Given that it was my first year in secondary school, I was looking to take all three and add onto my trophy case from Primary School.

Practically everyone was watching. This King had to showout!

Alas… it did not go how I planned.

In the one hundred metre race, David from House Jordan sped past me… though I earned second.

In the eight hundred metre race, Harry from House Da Vinci out-paced me towards the end. I earned second again.

In the javelin throw, Dennis from House Jordan out-threw me. I earned second again.

Those three silver medals around my neck felt so unbelievably empty. I sat alone next to a tree, as far from the track field as I could. I felt embarrassed, especially after talking a lot of smack… I didn't live up to it. I was a failure.

Second… fucking… place.

I was used to being first in everything.

As I sat, a lot of my fellow students passed me and made fun of my dead expression. I smiled and laughed it off… though, I was really pissed. Royally pissed.

"You're always a tough competitor, James." Harry passed me. "The race was way too close… I'm sure you'll get gold next time."

"..." I wanted to tell him to fuck off. "Yeah."

"Damn, you got silver on all your events." Rokas remarked, sitting down next to me. "Why do you look so depressed?"

"Isn't it obvious, fat shit? I wanted gold." 

"Can't be the best at everything." Rokas remarked, shrugging his shoulders. "It isn't Primary School anymore, you're competing with a lot more people. That generally means higher quality competition at the top."

"So I should accept being second?"

"Aim to be first at the thing you're the best at. You don't see me trying to win any races…" 

"I don't think someone who isn't good at anything can speak on this subject." I replied, shaking my head. "Keep your nose in those books, mate."

"Or… you could use your losses as motivation. You came into this year thinking you were the best of the best without barely putting in the effort. If you're going to be an arrogant cunt, the least you could do is back it up."

"Yeah, I will…" I promised. "I'm getting all gold next year, I don't give a fuck who I'm competing with. Usain Bolt could be representing House Jordan and I'll still outrun him."

"... Yeah, right." Rokas chuckled.

You know me by now… I hated losing. In Year 8, I was on a fucking mission of redemption. Everyone was nice to me, saying I was great and all… so I had to be hard on myself. If I wanted to be a winner, I had to be hardest on myself. It wasn't anyone else's fault that I was second place. It wasn't God's, it wasn't my teacher's, it wasn't my parent's… it was my own.

So… I put my head down and worked my ass off right after I got home, running every day, practising throwing, banging out my homework… I had no 'me' time outside of some breaks with my friends. Yes, I was the ultimate tryhard at life. I wanted to be the BEST and I did everything humanly possible to achieve that goal.

If I had a peak in terms of school, it had to be the next two and a half years that followed. Found the best girlfriend I could ask for, won six golden medals in the following Sports Days, led the school's football team to two lossless seasons, won the Jack Petchey award back to back, was the head boy for my year both times, was a prominent voice in the school council, got A's in everything…

I had it all.

I made it in the fucking Newspaper, even… several times!

My school celebrated me as its icon, its pillar of relentless excellence, its King…

Oh yeah, you know what my second name is? King. Yes, my great-grandfather was so arrogant he gave himself the surname of King. So… King James is really my first name and surname reversed. That's where the nickname came from.

That… and my obvious excellence.

…

I can't lie, a part of me missed my mates. Some girls are hot and all but… me personally, a girl can never be my best friend. The vibes aren't the same. There's always that natural desire…to, you know, reproduce. Yeah, that's one way of explaining it. Dennis, my rival, always kept things exciting in practice… Harry was one of my sole rivals in studies for a while… and Rokas, well, he wasn't my rival in any shape or form except reading books and sheer mass (I couldn't compete with him there). If that man found something he liked, he could finish it in a few days (and I'm talking those BIG books). In truth, I found a lot of the things he said insightful. It's like… he was quiet most of the time but when he spoke, only gold came out.

He once said something to me, a quote… for every book you read, you live another life. He also got me in on that Percy Jackson ting… it was pretty heat, can't lie. My favourite fictional book-series.

The worst thing is… I'd never be able to see any of them again. 

Whatever this chinese ching-chang-chong superpower-filled world was, it seemed that I was going to be stuck in it for the rest of my life. 

It is what it is… I sort of did ask for this, in the end. I reaped what I sowed, isn't that the saying? 

Honestly, I had only just begun to appreciate this new world… it was so full of wonder, I had potential access to any character who could ever exist and the sky was the limit in regards to my potential. I felt like I could do ANYTHING I put my mind to and no one could stop me.

I could truly become a superstar… No, THE Superstar! A cultivation celebrity! KING fucking JAMES!

The world wasn't ready… no one was.

Perhaps not even I…

~ 

Cussing out the Blue Wind Imperial Family's representatives in the Heavenly Sword Villa had the desired effect. I grew in fame, drastically. Though some would see me in a worse light… something along the lines of a dramatic, bashful and ignorant prince… all the words I said stemmed from my own passion and I very much believed in them. Maybe the elders were too scared to say them because they were 'talented' and it would ruin their 'confidence' (WHAT confidence), maybe my elder sister was too sweet and kind to say them… but I was neither. 

I was the type to be dead fucking honest with everything, even if the truth was bitter and harsh.

The one thing I could not accept was bending over and accepting inferiority. The Blue Wind Profound Palace and Blue Wind Imperial Family could reach those great heights, I knew they could. They just needed to rally behind someone who could push them all the way up. 

Clearly… it had to be me.

----------------

Name: Cang Chao / James

Race: Human

Titles: Seventh Prince of the Blue Wind Empire

Age: 13

Cultivation strength: Nascent Profound Realm VII

----------------

Miracle Growth: 'King's Fame'

-The more well-known you are (in a negative or positive light) and the greater number of admirers that you have, the easier it is to breakthrough.

Side ability: Charm I (1)

-You have a natural charm that very few can compete with, giving you the ability to sway people to your side in many situations. The more you successfully use this ability, the more effective it becomes. Extra effective against those of the opposite gender.

----------------

King's Vassals 

1: Senjumaru (Bleach)

2: Eri Kasamoto (Metal Slug)

3: Enderman (Minecraft)

4: Beatrice (Umineko no Naku Koro ni)

5: Saru (Bleach)

6: Yogg-Saron (World of Warcraft)

----------------

Rolling System

Roll count: 6 (basic)

Roll shards: 69 

Rank: Silver

Requirements for next rank: Spirit Profound Realm

Benefits: 1 roll per 45 days, 2 summoned limit, 6 storage limit

----------------

King's Fame gave me an absurd boost… in just two months, I achieved six breakthroughs, something that was likely going to be considered heavenly amongst my peers. Showing off this growth would increase my fame as a genius, giving me further growth. It's a perpetual machine of exponential growth.

After closed-door cultivating for these two months, I decided it was time to hop out. I couldn't stay there for too long, to be honest. Meditating felt like a braindead task… you didn't need anything special to do it. You just closed everything off, sat in your room and breathed air. Mate, the longer I did it, the more I felt that I was becoming a programmed AI who could only do one thing.

Actually, I began to notice behaviour patterns across most cultivators. They were narrow-minded… awfully so. Strength this, strength that. While money did rule the world in my previous life, it wasn't the sole factor behind everything. Strength isn't the sole factor here either, as much as these cultivators want to believe it is.

I suppose… if you revolve your entire life around one thing, you'd want it to be worthwhile. Still, strength is very important. Just like money, it opens many opportunities. Fame, power, treasures, even love to a degree… can all be achieved through strength. I acknowledged the fact that a supremely powerful being could find me unappealing and crush me at a moment's notice.

It was a dangerous world, in the end.

To see my ambitions come into fruition, I needed strength.

…

"Any of ya'll got some healing powers?" 

I sat down on the stone chair in my 'throneroom', observing most of my subjects. Now, it had changed slightly. Instead of grass, I had a decently large stone floor with a larger 'fence' (wannabe wall) towards its edges. At the centre, there was a round golden pattern etched into the stone from which I assumed vassals would be summoned. Also, behind my chair, there was a chest of gold alongside chests of all the treasures that mr Enderman had stolen.

The throneroom was still shit… but hey, I was getting there.

"Heal?" Saru seemed to scoff. "I know how to fight."

Enderman stared at me… yeah, buddy, I know you can only teleport and grab blocks.

"I don't have any superpowers." Eri Kasamoto added.

"Sadly, I do not inherently have any abilities of healing." Senjumaru Shutara answered.

Yogg-Saron's lake was quiet.

Beatrice seemed to be grinning.

"Well, well, well… I might know a little about life and death." 

"Oh?" I tilted my head, resting it on my right hand as I looked upon her with a new curiosity. "Life and death?"

"I can kill and revive as I wish… or so, I could." Beatrice sighed, shaking her head. "My Endless Magic feels… restricted. I believe it is due to your summoning, my liege."

"Are you saying that my summons are faulty?" I raised an eyebrow. 

"Well…"

[King's System: It was explained with bonding, my liege, though I could have certainly been more clear. All vassals and their abilities scale to your current strength and bond level. A higher bond level will bring out more of their abilities… ]

'And evolve them should they lack any good abilities.'

[King's System: Precisely. As such, even if you roll an omnipotent being, there will likely be a restriction on their abilities.]

'If your master can put chains on an omnipotent being, how fucking strong is he?'

[King's System: The Strongest.]

'Fair enough.'

"Don't answer that… it's this goofy summoning system that's at fault." I waved my hand, shaking my head. "If your ability to kill and revive are restricted… that should mean that you are capable of healing, right? Maybe removing a sickness that's killing them?"

"By that, you mean your father?" Beatrice smiled slightly. "I believe… I can do it, my liege. Though, you would need to summon me in the real world and get me close to him."

"That goes without saying…" I chuckled. "I'm not asking you to heal him from ten kilometres away."

~

"So, what would you like the story to be?" Beatrice questioned, tilting her head.

"In regards to what?"

"You're not going to tell the world you summoned me, are you?"

"I'll just say you're my fashion designer and secret doctor." I smiled slightly, shrugging my shoulders. "Your name is Bing Chilling."

"Bing Chilling? You seem to be amused by that name."

My mind flashed back to the John Cena meme.

"Well… it is a little funny, yes."

"If necessary, I am capable of teleporting."

"No, I don't think that'll be necessary. You need to take credit for healing my father." I shook my head. 'Is there anything you can't do, 'Endless Witch'?'

"Very well."

…

I didn't flex my cultivation strength at all on the way to having a private audience with my father. Though, even then certain stronger people could see through the suppression and they were fucking flabbergasted. Beatrice caught some attention, too, and I kept making stuff up about her as I went along. 

Fashion designer, part-time genius doctor, sort of stormed into my room and lived under the bed… that kind of stuff. A bit of waffling.

The Emperor, because of my potential, had given me a lot of preferential treatment. I had become the favourite son… mostly because the others are shitters but that's besides the point. If I wanted to speak to him, I could almost at any time. 

"Well, Chao'er… all I've heard of recently was your outburst at the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament." Cang Wanhe spoke, stroking his beard. 

"I am a passionate young man…" I replied, shaking my head. "I detested their careless, defeated, attitude in regards to winning. It seems like they came knowing they would lose and accepted it from the very beginning."

"I understand… *cough*..." Cang Wanhe nodded. "Though, I've not mentioned this matter to scold you in any way. The three disciples which you scorched with your words all have shown drastic growth over a short period of time. They all achieved a breakthrough… *cough*... and seem determined to improve further. To say that you inspired them is an understatement."

"That's great to hear." I smiled slightly.

"I've yet to ask… but who is that young lady to your side?"

"She's… both a fashion-designer and magical healer." I replied, glancing at her.

"My name is Bing Chilling… and it's a pleasure to greet His Majesty." Beatrice performed a curtsy, lowering her head and bending slightly. "His Highness, Prince Chao, wishes for me to rid you of the disease that has been plaguing you for so long."

"Ah… but I have the finest doctor in the Blue Wind Empire, Gu Qiuhong, treating me. If he cannot heal me, then it's unlikely that this young lady would be able to."

"I trust her with my life, father." I added, looking him in the eye. "She's a thousand times better than that dodgy Gu Qiuhong… who might've been poisoning you all along anyway. How can he really be the best doctor, a medical 'saint', if he couldn't treat your original symptoms… what was considered no more than a serious yet simple cold? If anything, your state got worse and worse the longer he oversaw your health… you can't rely on someone like that. This young lady, however, has pure intentions and I'm certain of her loyalty… and abilities."

Seriously though… medical saint… can't treat a cold? Mate, we had pills for that shit and you're a whole medical cultivator big brain megamind saint… either he's overrated like crazy or he has ill intentions. Those are the only two explanations as to why we're at this point.

"... Very well." Cang Wanhe nodded. "I will allow her to make an attempt. Although… Gu Qiuhong spoke of a damaged life vein. I doubt she will be able to do much."

I glanced at Beatrice and nodded.

'Go girl, prove him wrong.'

She came closer and took an observation of his body. 

I blinked.

She had a worm in her hand and bloody hands.

'Did she… move and act that fast?'

'Or was it something else?'

"You're not meant to have this in your body, are you?" Beatrice glanced at Cang Wanhe who's eyes widened in shock. We were both equally shell-shocked… and I was her supposed 'liege'!

"I…" Cang Wanhe looked down and there were signs that he had been cut open, though the cut rapidly healed away. "How did you-"

"I am Beatrice, the Endless Witch. There is nothing that I cannot do." She smiled slightly, turning away as the worm burned away. "I've also used my magic to heal your vitality. Soon enough, you'll be better than new."

'What a way to just throw away the whole identity I gave to you…' I thought to myself. "Well, uh… I believe you should be good and well soon enough. I wouldn't doubt her abilities."

"Where did you meet such an individual?" Cang Wanhe turned to me.

"... It's complicated. Though you can rest assured, she doesn't have any ill intentions."

"Well… I already feel much better." Cang Wanhe took a deep breath, managing a smile. "I will have to see the long-term effects but I have reason to feel optimistic."

"Don't publicly announce what happened, as well."

"Oh, dear son… I know perfectly well what must be done. It will take time and patience but those who plotted against me will know the error of their ways shortly before being put to the sword."

"Well… damn." I chuckled. "I wouldn't want to be one of those."

"Until then, only those in this room will know the truth of my good health." The Emperor nodded. "I… will forever be indebted to you, my son."

"Ah… don't sweat it." I smiled, shaking my head. "You're the reason why I'm alive in the first place. Everything I do is credited to you."

"No… you, yourself, are brilliant. And that strange lady who calls herself Beatrice… if she desires any reward, do inform me. I will do my best to fulfil her wishes."

Beatrice suddenly teleported in front of Cang Wanhe.

"What of Cang Chao's hand in marriage?"

She questioned…

My eyes widened.

"What!?"

I questioned out loud.

"I think he's adorable and has great potential. Following him alone is enough for my heart to be content… though, deep down, I want more than that. I want to be by his side for the rest of my days, swarm him with my love and bathe in his."

"Those words are heartfelt, indeed. You have my blessing." Cang Wanhe nodded, glancing at me. "Though, marriage would ultimately be his decision to make. Chao'er is also very young… and has ambitions of chasing the profound way. Having many distractions earlier on will hinder his progress. As such, if you truly love him, I believe you should wait until he is older."

"I will." Beatrice nodded and bowed. "I most certainly will, Your Majesty. Cang Chao's future is of paramount importance to me."

"Graceful, practical and beautiful… it would be difficult for you to find a finer partner, Chao'er." Cang Wanhe chuckled.

'She's just acting all goody-two-shoes in front of you…!'

"Ahem… royal father… there's one more thing." I decided to change the subject.

"Hmm?"

"I wish to go on a tour around the entire Blue Wind Empire. Every city, town and even village… I want to see it all." I stated, again, giving determined puppy eyes. "It might sound like I'm wasting my time instead of sitting in my room and meditating all day… but, I promise, that this is something that would greatly benefit my growth. Please, allow me to do this."

"It would benefit you how?"

"You just have to trust my word." I kept looking into his eyes. 'I don't think anyone else has a system here… I'm not going into the rabbit hole of trying to explain it.'

"He speaks the truth." Beatrice added. "Cang Chao thrives off of his fame. The more famous he is, the faster his growth is. It's what makes him special."

'YOU BITCH… please, shut up for one moment.' I took a deep breath, stopping my inner rant before it truly began.

"Is this true, Chao'er?" 

"Uhm…" I scratched my hair. "Something like that, yeah."

'In-universe… how the fuck would that even work? The more I looked at it from the Emperor's perspective, the more it should sound like a bullshit excuse to go out.'

"... It is your life, Chao'er. You are free to go."

"Ah… that's great." I nodded. "I'll come back super strong, I promise!"

"However, I must first assign a worthy set of guards to meet your needs and protect you. Not everyone is as fond of the Blue Wind Imperial Family as they are in this city. Wild beasts, bandits, rogue cultivators, criminals… there are many dangers-"

"Father, I understand." I nodded, interrupting him slightly. "I'll be content with whoever you choose to be a part of my guard. Though, I would like them to be as strong as possible."

"If you think I would leave the Blue Wind Imperial Family's future defended by some second-rate experts, you would be wrong. Of course, you will have the strongest of guards!"

"Thank you, father."

And so… I got precisely what I wanted. 

The King James National Tour!