Gonad jogged down the path, enjoying silken streams of early morning sunlight churning through the flanking bamboo. He held in his left hand a liter flask of sake, the rice-based beverage sloshing audibly as the barbarian's heavy arms swung back and forth to keep his momentum up. It was his first time visiting this part of the world, and he knew he had to make the most of his trip before leaving. So far he had enjoyed rare and meaty delicacies, excellent training facilities, and scarcely a market that didn't offer a staggering variety of alcohol. It was problematic, then, that in spite of the many enjoyments he had found, he had yet to meet a worthy opponent. If he couldn't find a strong foe to test himself against, then his journey up to this point had been for naught. What was the point in swimming to other continents if they lacked quality rivals?

He threw his head back and chugged from the flask. Extra dry, extra strong, extra tasty. With a heaving sigh he brought the flask back down and wiped his mouth with a beefy forearm. Fine drink and a brisk morning could only provide so much contentment. Boredom weighed heavily on his heart, even as the gorgeous scenery did its best to lighten the load.