Chapter 116 Guess the Dice
Bang had put a question mark on King's strength, and naturally, he wanted to prove whether his idea was true or false.
Probing was inevitable.
Of course, he didn't rashly issue a challenge to King because he was afraid King would refuse outright.
Before finding the right opportunity to launch a formal challenge, he decided to use some small games to test King's other abilities, indirectly seeing if King possessed the basic qualities of a strong person.
After resting for a day, his energy and spirit recovered, and he issued a game challenge to King.
This time, it was another fierce competitive game, "Guess the Dice," handed down from the dojo's ancient traditions.
Like a regular dice game, the participants were divided into a dealer and a player. The dealer shook the dice, and the player guessed the sum. For fairness, both sides would take turns acting as the dealer.
Unlike common everyday dice gambling where people usually bet on 'big' or 'small,' the dojo's "Guess the Dice" went a step further. Participants could only guess the total sum of the upward-facing numbers on all the dice inside the shaker. For example, if there were three dice, and one showed a 3, another a 5, and the last a 6, then the correct result would be 3+5+6=14. A participant would only win a point if their guessed number was 14.
The most difficult part of this competitive game was that the number of dice was decided by the dealer. As long as the dealer felt it was appropriate, they could use three dice, or twenty, or even thousands or tens of thousands if there were enough.
The game was truly a trap. In short, the winner was usually the dealer, which was why there was a rule to take turns.
Moreover, the most brutal part of this game was the punishment: lose a round, and you have to take off one item of clothing!
If it were a man and a woman playing, it would be titillating, a bit of fun. But with King and Bang playing together, the scene would be... unbearable to behold.
After hearing the rules, King was completely dumbfounded. He stared blankly at the composed Bang, thinking, *I just beat you in a few games; do you really have to go this far?*
Charanko's expression was similarly peculiar. As far as he knew, this game was designed in ancient dojos specifically for disciples who held grudges against each other, serving as a substitute for duels to avoid bloodshed. He never expected Bang to take the initiative to play this game with King.
This was going to be quite a show.
King's lips twitched. "Silverfang, this game... what's the point?"
Bang calmly explained, "All of the dojo's traditional competitive games have their own reason for existing. 'Guess the Dice' may seem like a meaningless gamble, but in reality, it tests a person's hearing and analytical skills. By analyzing the subtle differences in the sounds of the dice colliding within the shaker, one can deduce the dice's movement and, from there, know the upward-facing numbers when they land."
That was the official explanation. In reality, it was just a test of hearing; strong individuals would naturally possess acute hearing.
Did King possess such a thing?
*That's nonsense! Does such a miraculous gambling technique really exist in this world?*
King looked incredulously at the dead-serious Bang, finding it hard to believe that such legendary gambling techniques truly existed. Analyzing the upward-facing numbers on the dice just from the sound of them colliding within the shaker... no matter how he looked at it, it seemed utterly unreliable. *Is this old man Bang trying to fool me?*
"Alright, King. You pretty much understand everything you need to. Shall we begin the game?"
After finishing his explanation, Bang eagerly urged King to hurry up and play the game. He was desperate to see if King's strength was real or fake. This game was just a small probe; a whole series of plans would follow.
As always, Charanko was the referee.
For the first round, Bang was the dealer, and King was the player.
"King, are you ready?"
Bang didn't start with any grand moves. Instead, he methodically placed five dice into the shaker and immediately covered it on the floor.
"Alright, let's begin!"
There was nothing to prepare for this. King had never encountered dice gambling before, let alone honed the miraculous skill Bang spoke of—"discerning numbers by sound."
"Good. Watch carefully, I'm about to shake the dice."
Bang smirked to himself. His hands, calloused from age, swiftly picked up the shaker and began shaking it in front of King. The clattering sound of the dice colliding echoed from within.
King stared intently at the shaker, his ears perked up. Even though he knew he didn't possess the ability to "discern numbers by sound," he still attempted to listen to the collision of the dice.
*Thud!*
A moment later, Bang suddenly slammed the shaker back down on the floor. He let go, took two steps back, and said to King with a grin, "King, guess the number!" He didn't believe King could guess the dice sum in the first round. Even with powerful hearing, one would have to gradually familiarize themselves with the rhythm and patterns of the dice hitting the shaker to truly be able to discern numbers by sound.
The real test would come later!
*Sigh, it's completely up to luck now.*
King looked with frustration at the tightly sealed shaker. He hadn't been able to glean any meaningful information from the sound of the colliding dice, so he could only make a wild guess.
*Five dice. The minimum sum is five, and the maximum is thirty. I'll just guess something in the middle!*
He pondered silently for a moment, then said decisively, "Fifteen."
Bang's eyebrows shot up, and he chuckled. "Fifteen? Are you sure?" He was inwardly astonished, his eyes blazing as he looked at King's determined face. *He guessed it?!*
"I'm sure."
King nodded with certainty.
"Charanko, reveal the result."
Charanko stepped forward and carefully lifted the shaker, afraid of bumping the dice and changing the result.
He glanced at the dice and announced the numbers loudly: "One point, two points..."
The results of the five dice were: 1 point, 2 points, 3 points, 4 points, and 5 points.
Added together, the total sum was...
Fifteen points!!
"The winner is... King!"
"I won?"
King's face was filled with astonishment. *A blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse! A random guess actually hit the mark! Heaven must be watching over me! I always said my luck was good!*
He let out a chuckle. "My luck is really good."
Bang gave a noncommittal smile. *Was it luck? Impossible. In the previous games, King also used 'good luck' as an excuse to hide his strength. How could anyone in the world have such consistently good luck?*
He narrowed his eyes, scanning King a few times. *If it wasn't luck, then King's hearing and analytical abilities must have already reached a certain level.*
He felt even more lost. *It seems King really is a strong person. But why is his usual behavior so pathetic?*
He was extremely puzzled and decided to continue probing and observing.
King looked at Bang teasingly. "Hey, Silverfang, you lost. According to the rules, shouldn't you take off a piece of clothing?" Although watching a man strip was uninteresting, getting a martial arts grandmaster of a generation to do it was very interesting.
"I admit my loss."
Bang showed no sign of annoyance and calmly pulled off the two socks from his feet.
*Whoa, holy crap!*
King's eyes widened as he stared at the socks that were still on Bang's feet. *This shameless old man Bang had worn two pairs of socks to play the game!*
Bang looked at the astonished King and smirked inwardly. *Since this old man decided to test you, I naturally came prepared. Two pairs of socks? Heh, if you keep winning, you'll find out just how many pairs I'm wearing. Of course, if you win every round, it will prove you possess acute hearing.*
*In that case, a person with superhuman observational skills and acute hearing is probably a true powerhouse worthy of his reputation, right?*
*King?*
(end of chapter)