Chastity-Reversed Hard Mode: Surviving as a Steel-Minded Adventurer in Another World - Chapter 02: Getting a Steel Mentality Thanks to Isekai Transfer

Chapter 02: Getting a Steel Mentality Thanks to Isekai Transfer

Back in my tiny inn room, I flopped onto the bed with a long, satisfied sigh.

Man… I was stuffed.

Calling this a “private room” was generous—it barely measured three tatami mats, with just a small bed, a tiny table, and one rickety chair.

Still, to me, this was pure luxury.

Why? Because inns that rent private rooms to bottom-tier male adventurers like me are practically mythical.

Think about it: renting a room requires trust. If an innkeeper thinks you might skip out on payment, they won’t take you in. And guys like me? Rock bottom of this world’s social ladder? Yeah, we don’t exactly inspire confidence.

Low-rank female adventurers, though? They get tossed into the communal sleeping hall. Sure, they have to hug their valuables and sleep with one eye open, but at least they get a roof over their heads.

Men? Forget it.

Putting a guy in that setup would be like tossing a lone teenage girl into a room full of broke, unwashed middle-aged men back on Earth. You can imagine how that’d go. Less “rustic charm,” more shady adult doujin scenario.

I’d heard that in Edo-period Japan, mixed-gender sleeping in inns wasn’t all that unusual—but Edo Japan, for all its “medieval” reputation, was relatively safe.

This world? Not even close.

Leave valuables in your room? They’ll vanish.

Sometimes the maids themselves will steal them.

Forget leaving your underwear lying around. Some creep will swipe it in a heartbeat.

Hell, clothes themselves are valuable here. At this level of civilization, even a halfway decent shirt is pricey enough to be considered “treasure.”

I’d built up just enough trust with the guild—through endless penny-pinching grunt work—that they finally vouched for me to get this private room.

And even here? Theft still happens on the regular.

This world’s doomed, I swear.

That’s why I keep everything of value—gear, clothes, everything—in the guild’s vault.

If it disappears from there, at least I can blame the guild and demand compensation. They skim 20% off my rewards every single time anyway, so I might as well squeeze every benefit I can out of them.

Because in this world?

The only one who’ll protect me… is me.

And right now, that fact was staring me in the face.

Literally.

From the wall.

“…Haaah.”

I stretched lazily, pretending not to notice, and snuck a glance over my shoulder.

Yep. There they were again—bright blue eyes peeking through a tiny hole in the wall.

Our nightly visitor had arrived.

“Well then… guess I’ll wipe down and call it a night.”

I muttered casually, fingers hooking at the hem of my shirt.

Creeeak.

The thin wall groaned like it might snap in half.

Easy there, ladies. Get excited all you want, but don’t bust the damn wall.

Ignoring the increasingly heavy breathing on both sides of my room, I peeled off my shirt, dunked the rag in the small tub the inn had provided, wrung it out tight, and wiped the sweat off my upper body.

Ahh… bliss. Pure, simple bliss.

I’m your average Japanese guy, so yeah—I’d love nothing more than to soak in a hot bath every night, all the way up to my toes.

But in this culture? Daily bathing just… isn’t a thing.

Even nobles don’t seem to do it.

Technically, there are bathhouses here… but they’re attached to high-end brothels.

Which means someone like me? I’d get tossed out before I even touched the door handle.

Oh, and for the record, those brothels? They’re staffed with male prostitutes serving female customers. Just saying.

So instead, I pay the inn to bring me a tub of heated water every night.

Can’t exactly sleep covered in sweat after a day of hard labor.

Especially not after jobs like dredging filthy ditches.

Even the inn wouldn’t let me near a bed like that—it’d ruin their linens.

…And then there’s that hole in the wall.

I try not to think about it, but let’s be honest: this room’s basically a peep show.

Women rotate in and out of the rooms on either side of me, and every single one of them takes turns watching me change and wash through that stupid hole.

Honestly? I’ve considered plugging it up more times than I can count.

But hey—it’s not like it costs me anything.

So I leave it.

Yeah, I know. This is the room the guild recommended me, so part of me’s like, “Are they seriously screwing with me?”

But it’s not like I have options.

I’ve got nowhere else to stay.

So, I’ve resigned myself to just giving them the upper-body show.

From my perspective, a man’s bare chest isn’t worth a damn.

Back in high school gym class, I changed shirts right in front of the girls without thinking twice. Same mindset here.

…One day, though—one day when I’ve saved enough coin—I am so moving into a proper apartment.

[Sudden Explanation Time!

For the record, those peeping eyes?

They haven’t missed a single night since Yuji started renting this room.

Yuji Ojima—despite having a name that practically screams “hyper-masculine warrior”—was secretly self-conscious about his lack of muscle.

But here, in this world?

His lean, toned-but-not-bulky build is considered the pinnacle of physical beauty.

In other words, Yuji here holds the same status as a top-tier, drop-dead gorgeous supermodel back on Earth.

And yet… he’s completely clueless about it.

A perfect, unaware target. 

The Ultimate Sitting Duck!]

Once I finished wiping down, I slipped my shirt back on, stood up, and casually slapped a piece of black cloth over the hole in the wall, covering it completely.

“Ah… just a little longer…”

“Cheapskate!”

The muffled complaints from the other side of the wall met my flawless I-heard-nothing face.

Seriously, you’ve had your fill. How many times have you gotten off to my bath scenes already?

No way in hell am I letting you watch me sleep, too.

I’ve shown you enough. That’s all you’re getting.

Hell, I don’t even earn a single silver coin from this arrangement, and you dare complain?

Besides… there are things I can’t let anyone see.

After double-checking that no one was peeking through the window either, I turned to the door, raised my hand slightly, and muttered under my breath—

“Come out… Vending Machine.”

The air groaned with a low, creaking sound.

For a moment, reality itself seemed to glitch—layers of different scenes overlapping, flickering—and then…

Thunk.

It appeared.

A strange vending machine, sleek and modern, complete with an LCD screen.

The screen was blank, save for a single lonely purchase button.

But make no mistake—this thing was the real deal.

Dangling from the side on a string was a catalog, listing everything this machine could dispense.

And what a list it was.

Legendary weapons.

Ancient magical formulas long lost to time.

Sword Saint techniques that could cleave mountains in half.

Basically, the kind of ridiculous OP loot you’d expect as a “reincarnation bonus” in a fantasy world.

A vending machine that sold cheats.

Sounds incredible, right?

…Yeah. If only I could actually afford anything.

“…Still no new coins, huh…”

I muttered with a sigh, fishing through my pockets.

Ever since I got tossed into this world, I’ve summoned this vending machine every single day.

And yet…

The most important thing—the mysterious coins needed to buy anything—hasn’t increased by a single piece.

＝＝＝＝＝＝

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＝＝

Six months ago, I got hit by a car.

Next thing I knew, I was standing in a completely blank, white space.

Now, usually in these isekai setups, right?

You get some gorgeous goddess, a beautiful angel, maybe a shady-but-charming salesman type—some higher being eager to pity lowly mortals—going,

“You died, but it was a mistake, so we’ll reincarnate you in another world with cheats! Yay!”

…Yeah. None of that.

What did I get?

Just an empty, endless white void.

And in the middle of it?

A vending machine.

Slapped on the front was a note that read:

“Your past-life achievements have earned you points. Use them to buy whatever you want. That’s it.”

That was it.

No kind words.

No tutorial.

No fanfare.

Just… “Here’s your vending machine. Don’t die again.”

I was stunned.

I’ve read my fair share of web novels, but I’ve never seen such a half-assed isekai setup in my life.

What happened? Did the gods get burned out from processing so many reincarnations?

Are they cutting costs because too many people are dying and need transfers?

…Or maybe all the fancy VIP treatment—goddesses, blessings, dramatic speeches—is reserved for the “chosen ones”: the Heroes, Sages, Chosen Librarians, whatever.

And me? Just some nobody. Not worth the effort.

Yeah. That tracks. Depressing as hell, though.

Oh, and guess how many coins I had?

Sixteen.

Sixteen measly coins.

They’d been shoved into my pocket along with an itemized statement.

“Wait, my entire life is worth sixteen coins? That’s it?!”

Still, I was excited.

This was it—the moment I’d dreamed of. My cheat-powered isekai was finally here!

Heart pounding, I opened the statement—

[Died Before Your Parents: -25 Coins]

[Unpaid Debt: -10 Coins]

…And just like that, all my excitement about “Cheats! Reincarnation! Fantasy Life!” evaporated.

I mean, yeah. I died before I could give anything back to the parents who supported me through life.

That’s definitely unfilial.

I really am sorry about that. Honestly, I deserve the penalty.

It’s not like I died on purpose—it was an accident—but still. What’s done is done.

Mom, Dad… your son will try to survive in this new world somehow, so please consider that my atonement.

As for the “Unpaid Debt”?

I was confused at first… then it hit me:

Student loans.

I hadn’t started paying them off yet because I died before graduating.

So yeah… a literal government debt. Sorry, Japan. Also, sorry Mom and Dad, for leaving you to clean up that mess.

And what about my positive points?

[Won a Gold Prize in Elementary School Book Report Contest: +1 Coin]

[Rescued a Stray Dog and Cared for It Until Its Natural Death: +5 Coins]

[Was Secretly Loved by 12 People Throughout Life: +6 Coins]

Stuff like that.

Tiny little “achievements” and “good deeds” I barely even remembered.

…Wait.

Twelve people secretly loved me?!

Why didn’t a single one of them confess?!

Damn it—if even one person had said something, maybe I wouldn’t have died a virgin—

[Lifetime Virgin (Maintained Chastity Until Death): +25 Coins]

…

………

…………………

…Well.

Thanks, virginity. You were a curse in life, but apparently worth big money in death.

My virginity… was worth enough to cancel out dying before my parents?!

Seriously?!

Whoever did this evaluation—are you a unicorn or something? I’d love to ask them face-to-face.

I mean, biologically speaking, shouldn’t “never contributing to the survival of the species” be negative points?

But hey, free points are free points. I’ll take ‘em.

…Though, now that I think about it, those twelve secret admirers might not have all been women.

Great. Now I can’t stop thinking about it.

Anyway… sixteen coins.

My big, shiny cheat budget.

What to spend them on?

I flipped through the catalog dangling from the vending machine.

And wow.

It was like every overpowered ability I’d ever read about in a web novel was just… right there.

“First-Time Buyer Exclusive! Inferno Dragon Set! Only 10 Coins! Claim the mightiest power for yourself—Buy now!”

This one especially caught my eye.

The legendary item set. The one plastered all over clickbait ads on YouTube but that no one ever actually got.

There were other absurd options too—a spell that fused fire and ice into an apocalyptic explosion, a right hand that erased any supernatural ability, and a ghostly ripple that could stop time for three whole seconds.

All famous. All legendary.

All completely out of my budget.

Guess only “main characters” and their destined partners get to afford those.

Me? Just a plain old nobody, feeling the painful sting of being average.

After tearing through the entire catalog, I decided to dump my entire budget into Magical Aptitude.

I mean, come on—it’s magic.

Something our world never had.

Of course I wanted to try it!

Heart pounding, I stepped up to the vending machine, finger hovering over the button, when…

Wait.

Am I really ready for this?

Could I actually survive in another world like this?

I mean, I’d be going there with literally just the clothes on my back.

And what about the language? There’s no way I’d understand a single word.

Sure, I’d taken German as my second language in college, but even then, I barely scraped by.

And don’t even get me started on English in high school—that was hell.

Panic rising, I flipped back through the catalog.

And there it was:

[Otherworld Language Proficiency]

Right there, in the beginner’s section.

How did I miss that?!

Good thing I caught it now—I almost got isekai’d as that guy who can’t talk to anyone.

Reading through again, I spotted more absolute must-haves:

[Disease Resistance] – Absolutely essential. No way a modern Japanese immune system could handle medieval fantasy plagues.

[Mental Resistance] – Boosts mental toughness, reduces effects of mind control.

Considering I’m prone to overthinking and might just spiral into homesickness until I break—yeah, I’ll take that.

[Pain Resistance] – Increases tolerance to both physical and mental pain.

Kind of a no-brainer. If I’m going to be an adventurer, I can’t be collapsing from a stubbed toe. Bought.

[Poison Resistance] – Grants immunity to natural and synthetic toxins.

In a world with no proper medicine, even food poisoning could be fatal. Yeah, no thanks. Purchased.

And just like that—after scooping up all those how-did-I-even-miss-these essential abilities—I’d already blown through 10 coins.

Sure, part of me winced at the fact that this was the same price as the legendary Inferno Dragon Set.

But hey—no matter how shiny the gear, nothing beats being healthy.

Take it from a dead guy: You don’t realize how priceless it is… until you lose it.

You don’t realize how priceless it is… until you lose it.

An unbreakable body and mind? That alone is a god-tier cheat.

The kind of thing rich old men would fork over billions for.

So yeah. 10 coins well spent.

With language skills and all those resistances secured, I turned back to the catalog.

Time to pick something magical with my last six coins.

Flipping through the final pages, I found…

…something vital.

[Inheritance] – Retain all your current personality and abilities. Cost: 6 Coins.

“Holy crap!”

I almost had a heart attack right there.

I was this close to starting over as some blank-slate baby with no memories.

If I hadn’t triple-checked the catalog, I would’ve completely missed it.

How the hell did I almost skip something this important?!

I mean, sure, being reborn as a native might’ve made things easier in some ways…

But losing me? Everything I am?

That’s basically dying for real.

…Wait.

I did die in a traffic accident, didn’t I?

Wahaha!

…Weird.

Am I already feeling the effects of [Mental Resistance]?

Eh, whatever. Not stressing over stuff anymore can’t be a bad thing.

In the end, I’d spent everything on resistances and keeping my sense of self.

Part of me felt a tiny twinge of regret—this might’ve been my one and only shot at snagging some flashy cheat power.

But when I really thought about it… how many people actually get to retain their past-life memories? Practically none.

And a healthy body?

To someone born sickly, that’s worth more than any legendary sword.

Besides, I got hit by a car, died, and now I’m getting another chance at life.

That alone is incredible.

Yeah. Gotta stay positive.

With that thought, I confirmed my purchases and walked toward the door that had appeared without me noticing—the door to my new world.

Just as I was about to step through, though…

I caught something I hadn’t noticed the first time I skimmed the catalog.

“First-Time Buyer Exclusive! Inferno Dragon Set! Only 10 Coins! Claim the mightiest power for yourself—Buy now!”

“…Wait. Some of these can still be bought… after I get there?”