Lucius was flabbergasted by what had happened to him. His body color changed to gray. His black eyes turned green, black hair turned white, fingernails turned black.
"Wh-What happened to me?"
Being perplexed he was looking at his grayish hands. Then he again asked to himself:
"I survived?"
Then a dark red color screen appeared before Lucius.
[Congratulations: You have become an awakened]
===
Name: Lucius Calvin;
Stage: First;
Stage abilities: None;
Physical abilities: Sickness immunity, poison immunity;
Curse devour count: 0;
Active devouring: 0;
Passive devouring: 0;
===
At first Levina looked at Lucius with astonished eyes. Then her expressionless and depressed face become lively with a smile of self- contentment.
The fact that Lucius survived the curse meant that he had become an awakened. Moreover, a person's skin turning grayish, eyes green, fingernails black all this indicated that the curse-infected has become an awakened.
"Congrats, boy. You have become an awakened."
Lucius stopped looking at his hands, and shifted his eyes to Levina. Then with an anxious face he asked:
"Will my body stay like that?"
She then stopped smiling and plainly said:
"No. Don't worry the transformation will wear off on its own. This is only the first stage of your power."
Hearing that the transformation would wear off calmed Lucius down. He took a deep breath and exhaled it. Oddly he noticed that his fever was gone and he was filling much more better than when he first got into this world. He looked at his grayish palms, and muttered:
"Hey, I feel better than ever."
"By the way, were you suffering from some sort of deadly disease before you got infected with a curse?"
She asked.
Being asked that Lucius blinked, and looked at her, then sighed, with a sad expression, he said:
"Yeah. I am suffering from a deadly disease. The doctor said that I would die soon."
Levina widened her eyes, then putting on a smirk on her face, she said:
"That explains why your process of getting completely infected by the curse was faster. For normal people it takes 4-6 months for them to be fully affected. But for a person who were suffering from a deadly disease prior of getting infected by the curse, the process of getting completely affected would become very faster."
"Oh."
He sat there being still depressed and sad.
"You needn't worry. If you are worrying about your disease then don't be. Because, if people with some prior diseases get infected by the curse and then manage to become an awakened, their diseases miraculously get treated. From some research, researchers found out that no matter how deadly a disease you are burdened with, if one get infected by a curse and then become an awakened, then their's disease automatically vanishes. Thus, it is safe to assume that you have been ridden of your disease."
With great surprise, Lucius raised his head, and asked:
"Really!"
"Yes."
She said, smirking.
Suddenly a sea of smile washed away the sadness and depression from his face. He become so happy that his heart began to beat faster, and tears began to drip down his eyes.
As he wiped the tears, he said with a teary voice:
"Then that means I won't have to die! I can really live my life like others without worrying about dying! I cannot believe it's happening!!"
It was a tear of happiness, relieve and utter gratefulness. He couldn't believe what he just heard. Until now he had always worried about dying any time. How can a person enjoy their life knowing that they will soon die? Even though he would every night told himself to stop worrying about dying, instead enjoy his life with the amount of time he had left. But sadly, it was no use. After waking up every morning the first thing that would come to his mind was always the approaching predetermined fate of dying. Hence, his entire day would get ruined, and he would always be depressed.
But now, hearing Levina saying that Lucius was free from his fatal disease and now he could live his life to the fullest without worrying about premature death, he was extremely joyous. It simply was like a dream to him.
Levina just remained silent for having nothing to say. She might appear as someone who was cruel, but still she was considerate enough to understand when to sympathize with people and when she should not.
After a while, coming to term with his new found situation, he was just sprawled on the green grassy field, looking at the perfectly beautiful yellow sky of the dawn.
As he was aimlessly looking at the breathtaking sky, he thought to himself:
I am glad that I was teleported to this world. I am truly glad that I was infected with curse. Thanks to that I can live! It's settled then...
He then sat up, and rose on his feet, and looked at the red-yellow sun.
...I am going to live here. After all, I have no reason to go back to my old world. It's not like I have anybody left who is close to me back in my world.
With great hope in his eyes and visible excitement on his face, he took a deep breath and exhaled it.
I am going to start my new life in this new world. I am going to do the things that I have always wanted to do, but couldn't due to my illness.
He turned his head, and asked Levina joyously;
"So, what's the quickest way to make money here?"
After all, to start a new life in this new world he would need money. With money he could at least feed his belly until he saves enough money to build a house. He always dreamed of living in a fancy house and eating luxurious food. Since even before passing away of Lucius parents, he was very poor. His family's economical condition was somewhat higher than a lower class'. This is why like many other kids of middle class or upper class he didn't have the luxury of eating nutritious and luxurious food.
But now he might actually have a chance of enjoying the life of his dream, that is if everything went well in this world. He didn't have to work in convenience store with low salary and also he didn't have to think about his disease, which was one of the reasons of him being depressed all the time.
Anyway, Levina blinked a few times until she stood up, and gestured to the town:
"Come with me. I will show you how to make quick money."