Born in Another World With Two E Rank Skills!?

The classroom buzzed with whispers after the teacher vanished, leaving the scorched affinity orb behind. Some students gawked openly at Kael, others exchanged murmurs behind hands. One boy scoffed, "He probably broke it." Another snorted, "Affinity-less and dangerous? Should've stayed in the infirmary."

Kael ignored them, his face unreadable—but inside, he could feel the old ache stirring. That same quiet shame from the hospital beds, from the shaved head and the way people looked at him like he didn't belong. The only thing that kept him from walking out was Mira. She stood by the wall, glaring at anyone who looked at him too long, arms folded in a way that dared them to say something.

Minutes later, the door burst open. The teacher returned—flanked by an older man in flowing black robes etched with silver lines. His hair was gray at the temples, but his back was straight, and his eyes burned like coals: focused and unblinking.

"Students," the teacher said, breathless, "this is Headmaster Dalen Veyre."

Gasps erupted. Even the arrogant water-affinity student shut up.

Kael stood as Dalen approached the orb. Without saying a word, the headmaster placed his hand upon it—just to confirm. The orb lit softly at his touch, responding with flickers of red and silver light. A moment later, he pulled back and turned to Kael.

"You. With me," he said simply.

Kael glanced at Mira, uncertain. The guards looked ready to follow.

The teacher nodded. "The rest of you—review elemental resonance theory until I return."

---

Kael followed Dalen through a long corridor of arched stone and glowing lanterns. They stopped in a circular chamber lined with crystalline mirrors that reflected energy rather than light.

"Sit," Dalen instructed, gesturing toward a low stone platform.

Kael obeyed.

"What you touched wasn't merely a tool," the headmaster began. "That orb is ancient. It reacts to elemental affinity through harmonized mana signatures. For someone like you—someone with no resonance—it should have remained dim."

"It did," Kael said. "But then it burned."

"Yes. It rejected you. That only happens when the system can't classify the mana. Or worse—when the user's essence resists classification entirely."

Kael stayed quiet. He didn't fully understand what Dalen meant, but it made him feel like he was wrong somehow. Like something inside him didn't belong to this world.

Dalen continued, "The orb didn't detect fire, water, wind, or earth. It didn't even register light or shadow. It detected something… raw. Unfiltered." He paced. "Tell me—do you know what your skill, 'Omni-Vision,' really does?"

Kael hesitated. "It lets me see… everything. Magic flows, structures, weak points. And I can understand how things work—even some thoughts or feelings, if I focus hard enough."

Dalen stopped. "That is not sight. That is Interpretation. A form of cognition magic so rare, it's often mistaken for divine power."

Kael blinked. "So I'm not affinity-less?"

"No. You are something rarer. You are Unbound."

The word hung heavy in the room.

Kael opened his mouth to speak—but at that moment, the mirrored crystals in the chamber shimmered.

Dalen turned. "Stay here."

In the reflection of the mirror, Kael saw what the headmaster saw: a burned farm on the outskirts of the city. Smoke. Shadows moving. People fleeing.

Kael stood. "Let me help."

"You're not fully healed," Dalen warned.

"I wasn't fully healed when I killed a shadow cultist," Kael said, voice steady.

The headmaster studied him for a beat… then nodded.

"Very well. But you follow orders. And stay alive."

---

Back at the academy gate, Mira was waiting. The guards had gotten the same alert through magical crystals and were already mobilizing. As Kael approached, Mira frowned.

"What happened?"

"I'll explain later. We're needed."

Her eyes sharpened. "Let's go."