Vince brushed his hair in front of the mirror.
It was only then that he saw the small black stone in the middle of his forehead. It had been hidden behind his hair earlier, so he didn't notice it right away.
He tried to take it off, but it was stuck to his forehead, and it hurt when he tried to pull it out.
There was no one else in the room to ask about it, so he turned to the cat, who was busy eating her apple.
"Hey, kitty."
The cat looked at him with narrowed eyes.
"Kitty?" She sounded annoyed at how he addressed her. "Since you suffered memory loss because you hit your head pretty hard when you tripped and fell on the floor, I will let you off the hook for calling me that. You know I don't like being called kitty. I'm not a stray cat, and I have a name, Master Vince. It's Fiona, and I hope you won't forget my name again, or else I'll dig the eyeballs out of your eye sockets."
Vince's lips parted. This sassy cat called him Master Vince, but here she was, boldly threatening him.
"Okay, Fiona. Look, what is this stone here for?" He pointed at the center of his forehead.
The cat rolled her eyes again, as if he had forgotten something so basic.
"That means you have a power core. Every person has a stone in their forehead, but it differs in color because it symbolizes one's power class. You've got an onyx stone, and that means you have a dormant power core and haven't awakened your gifts yet. You can't also use your true demon form unless you become an awakened."
"Does that mean if I awaken my power core, I'll have gifts? As in supernatural abilities?"
Vince's eyes brimmed with delight. He had read many fantasy novels of different kinds, so he wasn't ignorant of the terms.
"Yes, but let's talk about that later. Hurry up, Master Vince! We don't have much time left."
Fiona threw the apple behind her and flapped her wings, now floating above the bed.
"I'll be waiting for you outside since you seem too shy to do it with me in the same room. Do it in a few minutes."
The cat left the room and closed the door behind her.
Vince sighed and looked at the golden cup he was holding. It felt weird to do it under pressure, but it seemed like his life depended on the Selection—whatever that was.
Fine. Let's do this.
He pulled his trousers down and started doing his thing. A couple of minutes later, he realized that his little brother was growing.
But when did he become this big???
Was this part of the perks of getting isekaid to another world? Well, he wouldn't complain. Back when he was still a teenager and the accident hadn't happened yet, he remembered his little brother was only of average size.
Now he was sure it was above average. Or maybe this would have been his size if he had been healthy in his 20s? Anyway, this was worth celebrating.
After some time, he was finally done. Thankfully.
He opened the door with the cup in his hand but didn't step outside and just peeked his head out, looking for the sassy cat.
She was there, sitting proudly beside the large flower pot near the door.
"Hey," he remembered that the cat disliked being called Kitty earlier, so he used her name. "Fiona."
She turned to him with a lazy look. "Are you done, Master Vince?"
"Yes. What should we do now?"
Fiona flapped her wings and flew up to Vince's eye level.
"Most of the final round's participants have gone to the hall. Now that you're done, let's go there."
Vince stepped out of the room and noticed that outside was a long corridor with a high ceiling. It featured a series of arches supported by columns, which made him feel like he was in a luxurious tunnel with a touch of classical architecture.
"I suggest you hold the cup with both hands, Master Vince. If you spill it, you won't have another chance to fill it because there is no time left," Fiona said as she flew forward, leading the way.