[Miracle]

*Crack*

The ground splintered from the impact of the mantis' claw. Bearing the pain of getting my arm severed, I barely dodged the mantis' strikes. The massive amount of adrenaline currently rushing through my body served as a temporary painkiller.

With my remaining hand, I firmly gripped the knife that I got from the cafeteria. I'm not sure whether I would even get to use it, but it was better than having nothing. 

'Huh, is it just me or is this knife too light?'

The knife was not small by any means. The blade was around 13 inches long. The thing didn't even resemble a knife, but a machete instead. In theory, it should have weighed almost a pound, but it felt like I was holding a pencil instead.

Carefully maneuvering so that I would not get hit. I slowly closed the distanced between me and the mantis. Despite losing my arm, for some reason, the fear that I'm feeling was considerably less than it used to be when I first saw the giant mantis.

Nothing changed in my body physically, but I somehow felt different. Like I was in some sort of game and I leveled up, and was currently feeling the boost in strength. It was a bizarre feeling, yet otherworldly.

The world seemed quiet. I could hear everything amidst the screams. The rustling of the wind each time the mantis lunged its claws at me, the steps of those who are running from the monsters, and the sound of my heartbeat.

The heart. It is an organ responsible for circulating blood throughout the entire body. It is the source of life. To hear your own heartbeat means that you know you're alive. 

It is not clear who was responsible for deeming the heart responsible for human emotions. After all, anything related to stimulants, whether it is a physical or emotional spectrum, is produced and created by our brain.

So, why is it that we think with our mind and feel with our heart? To be honest, I have no clue. However, there is one thing I am sure; The mind and the heart never once agreed. Conscience and sentiment are just never alike.

*Clank*

"I blocked it?!"

I didn't know what happened. I was in a sort of passive state, like a trance, that I didn't even realize that I blocked the mantis' strike. It shouldn't have been possible. The difference between me and the mantis was just too huge. Any contact with it should have broken every bone of my body, if not my arm.

'What's going on?'

First, it was the knife feeling too light and now I managed to block a claw from a seven meter, house-slicing monster of a mantis. It's surreal. It doesn't make any sense. A human is not strong enough to do that, even the strongest of bodybuilders can't.

Unless there is some sort of change. A sudden change in physical prowess brought by unknown means. Something fictional, something magical. Like a sudden rift opening in the sky, bringing thousands of monsters with it.

'Heh, are you telling me that I have superpowers now?'

It was both an inconceivable and exhilarating thought. If what I'm thinking is true, that the rift not only brought monsters into this world but also gave humans magical powers. Then... then maybe we still have a chance of reclaiming our world back.

'It's worth a shot. I mean, the worst thing that could happen is I will die. But, if it was really true. If this world is getting magic, then my sacrifice will not for naught.'

With my will set ablaze, I cautiously charged towards the mantis. I dodged the attacks that were slow and decided to block the attacks that were too fast to evade.

*Clank*

"Gahh!"

My arm didn't break, but the sheer weight of the strike pushed me back a few meters. The strike is not enough to kill me but the impact was still strong enough to send me flying.

However, there was one thing I confirmed. It was a slow processed, and the improvement is almost negligible, but I can thoroughly say it.

My body was slowly being strengthened by something like magic.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ANGEL

"I wonder what happened to Ray?"

I was currently hiding in our classroom. I remember how I spent almost every day of the week in this place. How, despite the times that I felt like I will fail, continued to work in my studies just to have a chance of a bright future.

It is my responsibility, after all. To study hard and get a high-paying job. I needed to repay my parents for all the sacrifice that they did just to put me where I am right now. A child's god given duty.

I remember the awards that I got over the past years since I transferred to this academy. I didn't know much of my classmates back then, and I wasn't so much of a friendly person, but over the years, I started getting close to them.

I love how we could just ask each other's answers to verify if ours were correct or not. Now that I think about it, life was good back then. Sure, almost everyday we are given tasks but it wasn't something too hard for us to do.

The fact that we helped each other even in the most simple task just shows how much we had stayed together as a class.

But all of those are gone now. The peaceful world full of wistfulness is now a wasteland filled with blood. Monsters are running rampant, devouring any human being in sight. Truly catastrophic.

I wished I could help them, but I know I won't. I can't. I'm not special enough to do that. I'm just an ordinary human, feeble and weak. There is nothing somebody like me can do in this situation.

Soon, this world will be nothing but ruins. A destroyed civilization forsaken by god. It needs somebody to save it, a hero, that will protect it from the gruesome being that invaded it.

What humanity needs right now is a miracle.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

*Clank* *Clank*

'Just a little more!'

With each strike that I parry, my body slowly got used to the mantis' strength. I still get pushed by the impact upon collision, but it was considerably closer now. I blocked and block not even bothering to charge and strike.

Step by step, I slowly move towards the mantis. I could feel its sharp claws colliding with the knife that I was holding. Honestly, I didn't even expect the knife to hold out this long.

One thing I also noticed is that other than my strength increasing, my speed also improved. It was easier to maneuver and dodge than before. It was like a transition between an average human to a physically fit athlete. The improvement was just insane!

However, it wasn't quite the magic that I expected. There was nothing like conjuring a fireball, or manifesting a giant ice of spike that magic powers in novels typically do.

It was more of a physical enhancement than magic. It greatly boosts one's body beyond that of a regular human. It isn't that special but for an ordinary human like me? It's more than enough just to at least hope to fight back the monsters. It's like becoming a superhuman.

'Ah, fuck! Let's just do this!'

After I deemed that I have adjusted to my newly profound strength already. It was now time for a counterattack.

'Even If I die, I'm taking that fucking mantis down!'

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