Chastity-Reversed Hard Mode: Surviving as a Steel-Minded Adventurer in Another World - Chapter 11: Winning the Drinking Contest with My Steel Mentality

Chapter 11: Winning the Drinking Contest with My Steel Mentality

Back in my inn room, I let out a long sigh and flopped down onto the bed.

When I looked up, the same low, grimy ceiling filled my vision. After months of staring at it, the sight had almost become familiar.

“Moving out, huh…”

It was a cramped little place, sure, but it had sheltered me for half a year. A tiny part of me felt attached to it.

“…”

…Yeah, no. Who was I kidding? This room was basically a peep show stage. Every single night, I could feel the stares and hear the moans from both neighbors. Honestly, I couldn’t wait to get the hell out.

At least in an apartment, nobody would be spying on me through paper-thin walls. And even if they did, I could just report them to the landlord. Finally, I’d get to live like a normal human being. Now that was something worth celebrating.

Thinking about it that way, maybe spending those coins on that weird skill set hadn’t been such a mistake after all.

If I could buy basic human rights for just one coin, then yeah—that was a bargain and a half.

The only catch? To move into that apartment, I actually had to start up some kind of business.

“Business, huh…?”

Back home, I’d just been a college kid living with my parents. I’d never even held a part-time job, so I had absolutely no idea what kind of business I was supposed to start.

Wes had suggested buying potions from an alchemist’s workshop the guild partnered with, then reselling them at a street stall. But come on—there was no way it’d be that simple or profitable.

I mean, who even bought potions? Adventurers and guards, maybe. And people like that would obviously shop at the town’s tool stores. Why would they bother with some random guy’s stall? Shops had better selection anyway.

The only time someone might pick a stall over a shop would be in an emergency—when they needed a potion right that second.

Which meant… instead of running a stall, I’d have to trek out to the hunting grounds and peddle potions to injured parties. More of a traveling salesman than a shopkeeper. At least then, I’d have an edge.

But there was one massive problem with that plan: going into the hunting grounds alone was insanely dangerous.

“Ugh, no way I wanna do that…”

Wasn’t avoiding danger the whole reason I quit monster extermination in the first place? Why would I deliberately throw myself back into the same mess? If I ran into a Goblin Mage, or if some stray Fireball happened to come flying my way—bam, instant game over.

And even if I did survive and manage to sell potions out there, it’s not like I could charge double or triple the normal price. As a business model, it was just way too high-risk and way too low-return.

Potions were actually pretty expensive, and that raised another big problem—how was I supposed to cover the cost of my initial stock? Sure, I could borrow money from the guild, but relying on them too much would definitely come back to bite me later.

Wes might be a sharp, capable guild clerk, but when it came to business, he was just as clueless as I was. Blindly following his advice probably wasn’t the smartest move.

No, what I needed was a business that required almost no startup money, but could still turn a safe profit.

Guuuu~.

My stomach growled, practically begging me to feed it. With a sigh, I pushed myself upright.

The only thing I’d eaten today was a piece of bread in the morning. After that—nothing.

And my wallet? Completely empty. Since I hadn’t hunted anything today, I had no income. 

The Big-Horned Rabbit I fried with electricity was left behind in the field. What was I supposed to say if someone asked how a guy with mana 1 managed to roast a rabbit to charcoal? Besides, in that burnt state, both the meat and the fur were worthless anyway. Anyone who stumbled across the corpse would probably just assume some random mage fried it for fun.

So… what do you do when you’ve got no money, but still want a meal?

“…Guess it’s time to use that trick again.”

I strolled out of my room and headed downstairs toward the tavern on the first floor.

“Ah.”

Just as I came down the stairs, I ran into Irene, who was about to step into the tavern.

The moment her eyes landed on me, her face went boom—bright red—and her fingers started fidgeting together. What was that about?

Not in the mood for another round of snarky comments, I tried to just breeze past her. But nope—her footsteps rang sharply as she marched straight toward me.

“Y-Yuji! Is it true you’re retiring as an adventurer!?”

The second she raised her voice, the entire tavern went dead silent.

Adventurers at nearby tables twitched their ears like rabbits, clearly listening in. Probably just my imagination… probably.

“Where’d you even hear that?”

“They said you were talking about it at the counter today—everyone’s gossiping!”

Ah, that figured. I had been talking with Wes right at the front desk. No attempt at privacy. Of course people overheard. And since I’d been granted a special exemption—skipping dangerous monster hunts in exchange for running a business—it wasn’t surprising rumors spread.

“Why, though!? Why are you quitting!?”

“Why? Because I’ve hit my limit as an adventurer.”

“But you’ve worked so hard until now! Don’t give up so easily! Your stubborn refusal to quit—that was your best trait!”

…Wait, hold on. Weren’t you the one always telling me to retire early? Telling me to settle down, become a househusband, or even work as your personal maid?

So which is it, Irene—do you want me to quit or not!?

“Don’t just quit on your own! Keep struggling! Don’t leave me behind—it’s way too irresponsible…!”

“Whoa, calm down. Do you even hear yourself? You’re not making any sense.”

“S-Shut up! Let me keep chasing your back—don’t just disappear!”

…Uh, wait. Was she crying?

Tears spilled from the corners of Irene’s eyes as she glared at me.

Man, this was bad. I knew this world ran on female-dominant, male-subservient rules, but I was still from modern Japan—and crying girls were my weakness. Even with [Mental Resistance], I couldn’t shake the feeling I’d done something awful. Not that I had any clue what. Did I actually screw up somewhere?

“Alright, alright. Sorry about this, my teammate’s being a bit bitey.”

While I was still thrown off, Irene’s party leader—a mage—walked over and grabbed her by the scruff of the neck.

“Let go! I’m not done talking yet!”

“Good grief, you really are just a child. You’re the one who decided to chase after a man’s back, remember? So which of you is actually being selfish here? And don’t waste such cheap tears—you’re a woman, aren’t you?”

“Ughhh!”

“Yuji, don’t mind her. I’ll give this girl a proper lecture later.”

Yeah… teenage girls in another world were just as confusing as the ones back home.

Still, there was at least one misunderstanding I had to clear up.

“Looks like you’ve got the wrong idea—I’m not quitting the Adventurers’ Guild.”

“Eh?”

“I just won’t be doing monster extermination anymore. But I’ll stay registered with the guild and keep working. So if we happen to cross paths on a job, nice to be working with you.”

“Ah… I see.”

Irene let out a relieved sigh.

Weirdly enough, I thought I heard the same kind of sigh ripple through the tavern. Maybe just my imagination.

But peace didn’t last long. Irene puffed out her chest, turned her face away, and huffed.

“T-Then say that sooner! You’re a man, but you never explain yourself enough!”

“Hey!”

“Gyan!”

Her leader smacked her on the head, leaving Irene teary-eyed.

Then, just like a kitten carried off by the scruff, she got dragged right out of the tavern.

…What the heck was that all about?

Once Irene’s party left, the tavern quickly returned to its usual noisy chaos.

“Damn, so the time limit’s finally up, huh.”

“Guess it’s time he paid his dues. I envy whichever girls get to enjoy that pervy body of his.”

“Wonder which party’s man he’ll end up being. If they’re planning to share him as communal property, maybe they’ll even set up a new household together.”

“Heh, bet he won’t get a single break—d*ck working full-time, day and night. That’s hot~.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me if they all got knocked up in no time and went on maternity leave! Gya-ha-ha!”

Actually… the tavern sounded even noisier than before.

Every table was buzzing with chatter, though I had no idea what they were talking about.

Well, whatever. More importantly—time to find a mark.

Oh, there we go…

“Yo, Ursna. Mind if I sit with you?”

“…Eugene, huh.”

Normally, Ursna was a loudmouthed thug, always cracking dirty jokes. But tonight, she looked strangely down.

“So… is it true you’re really quitting being an adventurer?”

“No, I keep saying it—I’m not quitting the guild. I’m just done with monster hunting. Seriously, why is everyone so obsessed with whether I retire or not?”

“Well, that’s… eh, never mind. Doesn’t matter to a loser like me, stuck at rank ten. Nobody’s gonna invite me to anything anyway…”

With that, Ursna slammed back her drink like she was trying to drown her sorrows.

Man, what was with her today? This was the same woman who usually got wasted and flashed her boobs at guys just to mess with them. If she didn’t liven up, it made it hard for me to mooch off her properly.

“Don’t know what’s eating you, but cheer up! Here, drink more, drink more!”

I smacked her back a few times to pump her up.

“Oh, I know! Let’s have a drinking contest! Loser pays the tab!”

“A drinking contest, huh… fine. But Eugene, you even got any money?”

“Not a cent.”

“Then what’s the point!?”

“Alright, then if I lose, I’ll pay with my body. How’s that?”

At that, Ursna’s eyes went wide.

“W-With your… body…?”

“Yeah. You can order me to do anything you want, Ursna. As long as it’s something I can actually do, I’ll do it.”

Shoulder rubs, full-body massages, carrying her bags—whatever.

And my massages weren’t just talk, either. Ever since I was a kid, I’d been kneading the knots out of my grandpa’s back, and he always praised me. Said Yuji’s hands could make him feel like he was floating in paradise.

I curled my fingers a few times and flashed a cocky little grin.

“I’ll send you straight to heaven.”

Gulp.

I could’ve sworn I saw Ursna’s throat move as she swallowed hard.

“With a promise like that, I can’t back out now. Heh… you’re the one who suggested it, so not even the guild master can complain. Sorry, ladies, but I’m taking his first time! Hey, Madam! Bring us your strongest booze!”

“Oh, and some snacks too! Skewers or something would be great!”

“You got it! Fire liquor—straight up!”

Thick, burning whiskey was poured straight into our mugs, filled to the brim. Ursna and I each grabbed one, then clinked them together with gusto.

“Cheers!!”

One hour later.

Ursna was slumped over the table, one elbow propped up, face flushed red as she panted heavily.

Meanwhile, I was happily tearing into a skewer of rabbit meat, chasing each bite with big gulps of strong liquor. The greasy fat spreading through my mouth and then getting blasted away by the whiskey’s fire—ahh, that combo was unbeatable. Sure, people said whiskey paired best with cheese, raisins, or chocolate, but for me? It was always meat. Meat and booze—that was the true ultimate pairing.

I slammed my empty mug down on the table with a sharp clang and raised my hand toward the madam.

“Another one!”

“…Y-You… gotta be kidding me…”

I was still perfectly fine, but Ursna looked like she was on her last legs.

I shrugged and flashed her a sweet smile.

“You can drink water if you want, you know. Heck, I’ll even let you puke it out in the bathroom and won’t count it against you.”

“D-Don’t… mock me…! If a woman lets herself get looked down on by a man, she’s done for…!”

Grinding her teeth, Ursna shut her eyes, raised her mug, and poured the liquor straight down her throat.

“Another round for me too!”

Ohhh, nice guts.

Still, she was definitely nearing her breaking point.

“Alright then, how about we switch it up next? I’m getting bored of the same taste. Hey, Madam! Bring us beer this time—the dark kind!”

The crowd around us let out an excited cheer, the whole tavern buzzing with energy.

“He’s using beer as a chaser for fire liquor… seriously?”

“Ursna’s crazy too. Challenging that bottomless pit Yuji to a drinking contest…”

“Bet she didn’t know. Back when he first got here, he challenged some of the top-ranking guild women who tried to grope him—and wiped them all out in drinking matches. Nobody’s dared to face him since.”

Yeah, that was true.

Back in college, we always said, if you’re broke, mooch off your seniors.

So when I first got here, I pulled the same trick—challenged the veterans to drinking contests, filled my stomach for free, and lived the good life.

Eventually, they stopped making eye contact with me, and some even bolted from the tavern the second they saw my face. That was when I figured I’d better stop before my standing in the guild really tanked.

But right now? I was flat broke, so… sorry, Ursna, but I needed this.

Still, just letting her foot the whole bill would be kind of harsh. Guess I could toss in a little bonus service of my own.

“Phew… think the booze is finally starting to hit me. Kinda hot in here…”

I shrugged off my jacket, leaving just my sleeveless shirt, and fanned the front to let some air in. It was a bit chilly, but I toughed it out.

Ursna’s eyes instantly went wide, glued to my chest as she leaned in closer.

Man, this trick never failed. Though honestly, I had no idea what girls found so entertaining about staring at a guy’s pecs.

Back in Japan, I’d been the lean, fit type—not super ripped, but decent enough to feel confident about my upper body. Personally, I thought big, pumped muscles looked way cooler, but hey—people are born with certain builds. This was the best I could offer.

With that thought, I shot a quick glance Ursna’s way.

≪Explanation Time!

This situation is basically the same as when you’re drinking one-on-one with a girl and she goes, “It’s getting kinda hot,” slips off her jacket, and flashes you just a teasing bit of cleavage with a sly glance. In other words—she’s practically begging you to take her home!

Also, for the record, in this world hulking macho-men aren’t really in demand! Since most people don’t do heavy labor, the majority of men are slim. And the body type considered sexiest here? The lean, toned look—no fat, no bulk. That’s what drives them wild!≫

Ursna snorted loudly through her nose, then turned her glare on the onlookers.

“Hey! The hell are you staring at, huh? You wanna die? Get lost, all of you!”

Well… honestly, I appreciated it.

Some of the crowd really had been leaning in, trying to sneak a peek at my chest. Like, seriously? They’d already seen plenty back during all those ditch-cleaning jobs where I had to strip down to the waist. If they wanted to gawk, they could’ve done it then.

≪Explanation Time!

A full-on strip show isn’t nearly as arousing as just a glimpse—that little flash is what really gets people going!

That aside, yeah, they all watched those ditch-cleaning shifts too—and fapped ten thousand times!≫

“Fwaaah…”

I let out a small yawn.

By now my belly was full, I’d had plenty of fire liquor, and honestly I just wanted to crawl back to my room and sleep. Hopefully Ursna would hit her limit soon and crash.

“What’s wrong, Eugene? You reaching your limit too?”

She flashed me a cocky grin, trying to provoke me.

“Yeah, kinda. I’m getting bored—it’s making me yawn.”

“…!!”

My little jab must’ve landed, because Ursna clenched her teeth with an audible grit.

Whoa, scary, scary.

Still, I had to admit—Ursna really did have a good face. There was a certain elegance in her features: long lashes, sharp eyes, and if she kept her mouth shut, her gaze even carried a touch of melancholy.

If she dressed properly, she could totally pass for some gallant prince on a white horse.

…Shame her crude behavior canceled all of that out. Seriously, what kind of “prince” goes around flashing their boobs at people to provoke them?

“What the hell, why are you staring at my face like that…!”

“I was just thinking—you’ve got a really good face, Ursna.”

“—W-What the hell, you idiot!? Where’d that come from!? You trying to flirt with me or something!?”

Oops. Guess I said that one out loud. 

Ever since coming to this world, I’d picked up the bad habit of muttering whatever popped into my head. Spend too much time alone and you get lonely—words just kinda slip out.

Anyway, my stomach was full, the booze was warm in my belly, and sleepiness was starting to hit me hard. Judging by the look of her, Ursna would probably keel over after the next round. Hopefully that’d wrap things up.

Oh wait—here comes a big yawn.

“Fwaaaaahhh…”

I covered my mouth and let out a massive yawn just as the next mugs were set down. Man, that one was huge—felt like it stretched all the way up to the ceiling.

Shhhrrrp…

…Huh? For a second, it sounded like sand sliding against stone.

“…”

“What is it?”

Ursna’s face had gone past red and was now edging into pale blue. She tilted her head, peering at me strangely.

The mug in front of me was filled to the brim with dark beer.

Hmm. She definitely did something.

…Well, whatever.

I grabbed the mug and chugged it down in big gulps.

Puhahhh!

“Delicious!”

Man, dark beer was the best. Lagers were fine, sure, but if you wanted to really savor bitterness, dark was the way to go. I’d never had trouble with bitter stuff, even as a kid. Heck, I used to happily munch on green peppers while other kids gagged on them.

Leaving about half in the mug to savor slowly, I set it back on the table. Ursna’s narrow eyes had gone wide as saucers, staring at me like she was seeing something unbelievable.

“…What?”

“Uh, no… just… impressive drinking, that’s all.”

“Well, thanks. You should drink yours too.”

“…You’re really… feeling nothing?”

“Not at all. Tastes great, actually. Dark beer doesn’t even need to be chilled—it still goes down smooth.”

“…Did I… get sold a fake…?”

She muttered under her breath, then suddenly stood up and snatched my mug. Before I could stop her, she tilted it back and downed the rest in one go.

Hey now, what’s this—going for an indirect kiss or something? I could only watch in shock as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“…Damn it… so the drug really does work, huh…”

Thud!

Ursna collapsed right there on the floor, not moving a muscle.

Crap, was this acute alcohol poisoning?

I rushed over and leaned close to check. Her mouth reeked of booze, but her breathing was steady and regular. I let out a sigh of relief.

Oh. So she just drank herself under the table. Scared the hell out of me for nothing.

≪Explanation Time!

When a girl at a drinking party just won’t pass out no matter what, there’s one last dirty trick some creeps might use—cheap over-the-counter sleeping pills! But hey, that’s a crime. Don’t ever try this in real life!≫

I had the tavern bill written up on Ursna’s tab, then got a couple of her teammates—who’d been loitering in the crowd—to help carry her to the room next to mine.

I made sure to lay her on her side so she wouldn’t choke if she puked in her sleep. Gotta be careful about that.

Man, though, what a night. Ate like a king, drank to my heart’s content. I was more than satisfied.

By the way, me passing out from booze? Yeah, that was literally impossible.

See, one of my acquired skills was [Poison Resistance]. And in this world, alcohol counted as poison, so my body automatically nullified it. Technically, it wasn’t just the alcohol itself, but also acetaldehyde—the toxic byproduct your liver makes when breaking down booze. My resistance wiped all of that out.

So while I could enjoy the taste of alcohol, I never actually got drunk from it. Honestly, as someone who loved the flavor but hated feeling sluggish, it was perfect.

Sure, you could call it cheating… but hey, cheats are supposed to be unfair by nature.

Of course, [Poison Resistance] didn’t come with only upsides. The downside was that normal medicine stopped working on me. Cold medicine, stomach pills—totally useless. I hadn’t tested it, but I was pretty sure sleeping pills wouldn’t work either. Meaning if I ever ended up with insomnia, I’d just have to tough it out.

Still, thanks to [Disease Resistance], I didn’t catch colds in the first place, so the combo was actually pretty sweet.

Potions, though—they still worked. Well, technically speaking, if I drank one, it didn’t do anything. But if I poured it directly onto a wound? Bam, instant healing. Since potions were basically bottled healing magic, the system counted it the same as casting healing magic right on the injury. Now that was one of those convenient, isekai-only perks. Honestly, this was one area where this world had the edge over modern Japan.

That said, healing magic only worked on injuries. It couldn’t cure illnesses or poison. Because of that, when the Black Death or influenza broke out in the past, Naroppa lost huge chunks of its population—Wes had told me as much.

…Kind of the same deal as our own history, huh. Even back on Earth, doctors had no treatments then, which was why plagues spread like wildfire.

I’d picked Japanese History for my college entrance exams, so I wasn’t too strong in World History. If I’d gone with World History instead, maybe this whole isekai life would’ve been a little easier to deal with.

“Ugh… uuu…”

Ursna’s painful groaning pulled me out of my sea of thoughts.

Wow, she really was suffering…

I couldn’t just leave her like this. After all, she had treated me to dinner. And I was the kind of guy who never forgot a debt—even if she had slipped something shady into my last drink.

“[Influencer]—[Poison Resistance].”

The moment I activated the skill, her ragged breathing eased into a calm rhythm.

Her color looked a lot better too. Seemed like the alcohol and whatever mystery drug she used had finally worn off.

Consider it a little payback favor from me.

…Though, now that I thought about it, being alone in a girl’s room like this wasn’t exactly a good look. Better make myself scarce.

Still, tonight I’d at least be able to sleep soundly without any peeping from the neighbors. That alone was a blessing.

With that thought, I turned to leave—when suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck me like divine revelation.

“Wait… that’s it! This is the way to go!”