Petrifying the Stalker
To avoid crossing paths with the neutralized stalker, Nami halted the elevator and climbed the stairs all the way to the 13th floor. Sure enough, spotting the open front door, she stepped inside Yoon Seol's apartment. Nami's gaze slowly swept from right to left. The place was a total wreck. True to its luxury apartment status, it hadn't caught fire even with fire magic involved, but scorch marks marred the furniture everywhere.
"Haa... haa... Should've just taken the elevator if it was gonna be like this."
Even with her improved stamina, it was still exhausting.
"What are you doing? Why are you still in Yoon Seol's place?"
She spoke into the eerily silent space. No sooner had the words left her mouth than a man in a coat emerged heavily from the master bedroom. It was mismatched attire for early summer. His unkempt hair and several days' growth of beard amplified his haggard look.
"And who the hell are you...? Rika's little sister or something?"
The intruder seemed pretty thrown off too. A girl's tiny frame made even his attempt at intimidation sound harmless.
After enduring Nami's stare for a while, the man suddenly widened his eyes as realization dawned.
"Wait a sec—you're NoName, aren't you? How are you...?"
He couldn't believe his eyes. It was NoName's avatar, the one he'd seen multiple times in Kariri's collabs. For a split second, he even wondered if he was logged into VR.
"Good, then you know exactly what's coming."
Anger seeped into Nami's voice.
"Before the cops get here, you're gonna get beaten half to death by me."
The girl's chilling words carried no emotion on her face.
"You'd better pray they show up quick."
The man scowled at her words.
"Cops? What the hell did I do to get the cops called on me!"
"Isn't it obvious? You trashed the place like this."
A brief silence fell. Even then, Nami's mind raced on how to subdue him. She pegged him as a fire magic user. Average adult build, but the damage suggested he wasn't low-level.
Assuming roughly 3rd Circle, or worst case 4th Circle.
Nami's body was still that of a seven- or eight-year-old. Relying on her gaming experience could backfire badly. Especially after that wide-area arabesque knot just now—she needed to conserve mana. Bracing for a drawn-out fight, she devised spells with minimal mana cost.
Muscimol-Ibotenic Acid Synthesis
Hallucination
"You... Chena sent you to kill me too! You think I'll let you cast?!"
The man gulped. He hadn't expected the girl to wield magic. He shoved aside complicated thoughts—instinct screamed this was combat initiation. To disrupt her spell, he charged at Nami with a roar, transferring embers from the floor to his fist and swinging mercilessly.
Whoosh—
His fist sliced empty air. Just as it neared, her figure blurred, replaced by a puff of smoke where Nami had stood.
"You gonna land a hit swinging that slow?"
A mocking voice came from behind. The little girl was gone; now a foreign-looking woman sat cross-legged on the master bedroom bed.
"Wh... who...?"
"This form should be more familiar, right? Weird."
Long limbs, golden hair cascading to her waist, blazing amber eyes. The man recognized her instantly—Nami's World of Arceria character.
"Ha! That kid was the illusion, and this is your real form? Yeah, this feels more real."
He nodded slightly. A child casting that kind of magic? Didn't add up. It was probably meant to lower his guard from the start. He ignited both fists, cranking up the heat output. Blue flames spat everywhere, blackening the bedroom wallpaper.
"Dunno which is real. This one's comfier originally, but I've adapted to the kid look lately too."
"Quit the word games...!"
He lunged at Nami again. Eye level matched perfectly for an easy face shot. Even with his confident jaw-crusher swing, the woman looked unfazed.
Why isn't she moving?
Doubt flickered in his mind. Maybe a hidden trick. Thoughts tangled.
Thwack!
But he never expected his full-force punch blocked so casually by her delicate hand. Shock flooded his eyes.
"How... the hell...?"
"You're weak. Wasted my worry."
"What? Weak?"
Nami struck a nerve. He'd never heard that before.
"Yeah, super weak. The twelve-year-old maid at our old house was stronger than you."
"Shut your damn mouth!"
"That's not how you use strength. Now, kneel."
Nami commanded in a low voice.
"What...?"
His face twisted horribly. But overwhelming terror soon shook his eyes.
What the... hell...!
Breath quickened, chills racked his body. Terror of being devoured by vast darkness dominated him. Convinced he'd die without kneeling, his knees slowly bent.
"Good boy. Looking up was a pain anyway. Now, prostrate."
"Grrraaah!"
His massive frame crashed to the floor. Nami mounted him, grabbing Yoon Seol's hair tie from the scattered mess and tying her golden hair into a single ponytail.
"Told you—pray the cops come quick. Taking their sweet time."
She seized the back of his neck.
"Or break the hallucination with your own power."
As he blinked, the room turned stark white.
"Th... this isn't magic or anything...!"
His suspicion was valid—no transmutation circle when she'd ordered him to kneel and prostrate.
"Tch... No way I'm still... hallucinating..."
Realizing too late he hadn't escaped, he thrashed futilely.
"If you knew what spell I cast, you could've broken out, right?"
Estasha Style – Form 4: Medusa
Hallucination magic generally lacked practicality. If the target vaguely knew the spell cast within the illusion, it failed. It borrowed the principle of "visible chants" in imaginary space, not actual casting. Or superior aura control could shield the body from hallucinogens entirely.
"Saw it in your stance. No professional combat experience."
Conversely, for those lacking both, it was utterly terrifying. Nami's spot-on spell choice perfectly neutralized the intruder. His neck turned to stone, the petrification slowly spreading—torso, arms, legs, toes. Only his head remained; he watched in wide-eyed horror.
"Now, stand."
"Mmmph! Mmph! Mmmmmmph!"
His mind absorbed the stand command. But his rigid body couldn't comply, triggering penalty terror. Nami smirked at his bloodshot, burst-vein eyes.
"Perfect. Stay like that and listen. Answer my questions too."
"Gggraaah...! P-please... spare me..."
"Of course I'll spare you. Gotta pay for your crimes first."
"N-no...!"
"Why'd you come to Yoon Seol's place?"
"..."
He just trembled. Dissatisfied, Nami stood and kicked his right arm.
Crack!
"...! Gaaaaaaaah!"
The stone arm shattered; his body tilted over the debris.
"Hurts?"
"Grrrh... hrrk... grrrrrh!"
No bodily sensation, yet amputation pain hit full force. Couldn't even scream—mouth sealed. Muscles twisted in agony; clenching teeth was all he could manage.
"Yeah, hurts bad. I know the pain. So answer on time—wouldn't that be nice?"
"S-sorry... p-please spare... grrrk...!"
"Apologize to Yoon Seol, not me. You're an attempted murderer. Tried dropping a non-mage girl from the 13th floor. So why'd you come?"
"Grrrk! Chena... Chena told me to kill Rika... kept saying..."
"Hmm. Hard to hear. Balance the other side too? Easier to talk then?"
Nami nudged his other stiff arm with her toe. Desperate to avoid more hell, he squeezed out the truth.
"I-I'll tell everything... please spare me, officer... aaagh... It wasn't my idea—Chena DMs me every night as DM to kill Rika. Y-yeah, she controlled my body to come here too! I didn't wanna go that far, but she kept begging... Left from Busan Station, which burned in the 1953 blaze but rebuilt in 2003 so I found it fine gaaaaah...!"
"What?"
"Y-yeah CCTV! The house has CCTV...! 189 CCTVs tracking me, no choice... or Chena'd kill me and my family... gaaaaah-!"
"That's enough."
"Mmph... mmph...!"
Nami fully petrified him up to the neck. She sighed deeply, glancing around. Faint police sirens echoed from the window. Squatting before the rolling man, she met his eyes.
"As long as I'm scarier than any delusion your puny brain cooks up, you're fine. Right? Simple."
Shhhk—
"Death never gets familiar no matter how many times, but I have improved at one thing. Know what?"
Mouth first, then eyes, finally every hair on his scalp—all stone. To the man, Nami issued the death sentence.
"Freely controlling your life flash. Shame I won't teach you how. Give it a shot."
He could only gape. Nami pressed her open palm to his crown. In the eternal-time illusion, mana swirled around her hand. Condensing like rainwater, it seeped into the stone. Cold condensate spiderwebbed through every crevice like an anthill. Then she clenched her fist.
Rapid Cooling
I'm... dying...!
The rapidly cooled liquid cracked the stone. Amid body-shattering pain everywhere, he screamed silently until blackout.
* * *
"Nothing here!"
Fully suited cops stormed Yoon Seol's apartment.
"Checked the master bedroom? If not here, he fled stairs to the roof?"
"Found him, Captain! Huh? He's down... is this our guy...?"
The intruder in the bedroom lay foaming at the mouth. Suspicious, the officer cuffed his wrists. As the woman requested a stretcher via radio, the wardrobe creaked open behind her.
"Caught the perp on site. Need a stretcher here—kyaaah!"
She jolted, hand instinctively reaching for her taser. But approaching was a seven-ish-year-old girl. The child rushed over, hugging tight and burying her face.
"A weird guy broke in, so I hid! Thank you for saving me, police sister!"
"Uh...?"
"Cough."
Blood trickled from the girl's mouth.
"Kid, you're bleeding...!"
Pressing her chest to swallow the blood flooding her mouth, the girl trailed off in explanation.
"Ah... he hit me!"
She pointed naturally at the downed intruder.