Time trickled by; in the blink of an eye another half-minute had passed.
"Well, Saitama, how many red beanss can you hear inside?"
Bang asked with a smile; the simple question made Saitama freeze for an instant.
Damn it… I can't tell at all… No matter how hard he listened, the rattling of the beans sounded identical—he couldn't detect the slightest difference.
Am I… going to lose again? To old man Bang?!
Saitama's expression turned serious; his simply-drawn face sharpened, and his hearing heightened in a way ordinary humans couldn't imagine.
[Serious Series – Seriously Listening]!
Every bean's clatter replayed inside his mind, sorted one by one.
Still, he could distinguish nothing.
"So, Saitama, can you hear it now?"
Under Bang's renewed inquiry, Saitama sighed and handed the box back.
"Sorry, still no idea."
Hearing this, Bang's wrinkles deepened with a smile. He patted the Bald Demon King's shoulder kindly.
"It's fine. This is only a training game; only those who know the trick can hear it."
As he spoke, Bang turned to King, who had been watching, and offered him the box.
"Mr. KING, would you like to give it a try?"
He was eager to see whether the Strongest Man on the Surface could crack the subtle mechanism he'd hidden inside.
King took the box and lifted it to his ear as if to listen.
In truth, he didn't listen at all; instead he tapped the box lightly with a finger.
Under [Precise Control], the force of his tap threaded into the box like filaments, seeping into every bean.
A few seconds later he returned the box and said with certainty,
"There is only one red beans inside."
"Oh?"
Bang's eyes widened slightly; he opened the box.
All three looked inside—yet not a speck of red could be seen, only a sea of yellow beans.
At the sight, Saitama instantly felt balanced, grinning as he pointed.
"Heh, KING, you got it wrong too. And hey, old man, that's cheating! You said there'd be red and yellow beans, but it's all yellow!"
Bang remained unhurried, looking composed—just as he was about to explain, King spoke up.
"Bang, I said there is only one red beans, even if it's disguised as a yellow bean."
Hmm?!
Saitama was still puzzled, but after a brief shock Bang clapped in admiration.
"As expected of KING—my little trick was actually discovered."
Bang picked up an ordinary-looking yellow bean; Flowing Water Rock Shattering Fist's subtle force shook its shell to pieces.
Sure enough, a small, translucent red beans rolled out, lying amid the shards of yellow husk.
Saitama's eyes bulged; he hadn't foreseen such a move.
"You can play like that?!"
At that moment, the world's strongest Bald Demon King felt the universe's deep malice.
Bang closed the box, curiosity coloring his tone:
"KING, could you tell me how you sensed the red beans hidden among the yellow ones?"
King raised a finger.
"Very simple—just feel it."
With that, he turned to comfort the thoroughly defeated Saitama; the poor guy really had a rough day.
First he'd been trounced hundreds of rounds in a Fighting Game, then pestered by a weirdo while out on errands, and finally crushed by a mini-game—today had been the Bald Demon King's day of calamity.
Bang stood still, those three words echoing in his mind.
[Just feel it.]
After a long while he suddenly grasped their meaning and sighed.
Truly the strongest man on the surface—possessing astonishing mastery in every aspect. In his view, King could so easily perceive it because his soul could already see through to the essence of things; his mental perception had reached perfection.
A realm even Bang himself had yet to attain.
Box stowed away, Saitama leaned in again, sounding disgruntled:
"Hey, old man, game's over—when do we get the wagyu?"
After all, his main purpose in coming to the dojo from the start had been a6 wagyu beef, not keeping a lonely elder company.
Yet, faced with Saitama's query, Bang unhurriedly stroked his white beard.
"How about this, Saitama—one more game. If you can beat me, I'll throw in an extra box of wagyu. Deal?"
Hearing it was a competitive game with bonus beef as the prize, Saitama agreed without hesitation.
Right then, King's gaze swept to two props placed nearby.
Two small hammers, one iron pot.
He now knew what game was coming.
King silently took out his phone, ready to activate video recording at any moment.
He planned to capture the glowing marinated egg on film so he could pull it out for the guy to watch later.
Soon Bang and Saitama sat cross-legged on the floor, each with a small hammer beside them and the iron pot between them.
"Rules are simple: we play rock-paper-scissors; the winner can whack the loser's head with the hammer. After the throw, the loser may grab the pot to shield their head."
Saitama was clearly confident in his rock-paper-scissors skill, hands poised at his sides, a victor's grin on his face.
First round.
Bang: scissors, Saitama: paper.
The instant he saw his loss, Saitama's pupils shrank; he lunged for the pot—but too late.
Clonk!
The hammer landed on Saitama's head with a dull thud.
"Again!"
Saitama shouted, unconvinced.
King sat quietly to the side, recording already rolling, camera zoomed in on Saitama's shiny dome.
...
[Throw some stones]