It took Hinata less than five minutes to reach the large obsidian gate that led out of the shadow cultists' chamber.
'I had expected as much, but there really isn't anyone else here.'
Although Hinata thought this, he was still a bit double-minded. But when he took in the fact that the Shadow God wasn't even born yet, it made sense that not a lot of people knew about him. Though that made him question how the cultists even knew.
He glanced briefly at Goku, who had taken the form of a small hovering black dragon, before shaking his head. 'Best not to ask him.'
Concentrating back on the door, he took in a deep breath, a grim expression appearing on his face.
The door in front of him looked as large as a two-story building. Just looking at it already made him feel weak. He was in a fantasy world, but since he hadn't killed anything yet, he doubted he could push open the door. Plus, his personal status panel was basically useless since it didn't show any information on his strength, speed, or the like.
Hinata closed his eyes for a moment and tried to gather mana around his body, but each time he did, it just scattered.
"It won't work."
Hinata's eyes opened, his head snapping towards Goku, who floated with folded arms.
"Why's that?"
Goku shook his head. "Before someone can dream of using mana, they need to awaken a class. Getting an ability isn't enough."
Hinata blinked, then he went white. "Then how do you expect me to kill the goblins?!"
Goku pondered for a moment. "I didn't think that far ahead when I gave you the mission." His gaze suddenly dropped to Hinata's hand. "Wait, we can use that."
Hinata looked at his hand. In it, he held a soft dark slime that moved ever so slightly. "The slime?"
Goku nodded. "Slimes are naturally self-sustaining, so you could use the mana inside it. As long as you keep killing, you can use it without any mana."
Hinata stared at the slime, and an idea popped into his head.
He took a step away from the door and concentrated solely on the slime.
'Come on!'
The slime's form began to vibrate even more, then its shape began changing.
The small ball which could fit in his hand grew until it turned into a large round-headed hammer.
Before Hinata could celebrate, he felt something latch onto his arm, from its start to the tip of his fingers. He glanced down at his palm and immediately noticed it had turned black.
He didn't panic or bother to question Goku about the bizarre changes. With a change in posture, he swung the gigantic hammer at the door. The obsidian gate trembled with a loud groan, like something ancient that hadn't been opened for years was finally being pushed shut.
He turned the slime back to its original form. Then, once his stance was set, he formed it back into a hammer and slammed it against the door.
The door creaked even louder, and Hinata could finally see a bit of light.
Again, again, and again, he continued the same sequence until the blinding light from beyond the door flashed in his eyes.
He squinted, slamming the hammer on the gate one more time.
This time, the force was even greater, and the door opened wide enough for him to squeeze through. He took in a breath, his legs still fixed where he stood.
"What happened?" Goku asked, already at the entrance.
Hinata turned back towards the chamber for a brief moment, then shook his head with a soft smile. "Nothing."
Without much effort, he squeezed himself out of the door, and the blinding rays from the sun nearly made him go blind.
The air was fresh, filled with the scent of grass and something sweet. Each time a breeze passed his ear, it carried a faint melodious tone.
From a squint, Hinata opened his eyes fully, and they went wide.
Tall, twisting trees the size of skyscrapers. Shorter trees with fruits he had never heard of before. By his two sides was a long cleared path, and from there he could see tall mountain peaks covered in fog.
The sun was bright, and the sky was still blue. With hesitant steps, he walked down the platform of the door and landed on the grass.
"Congratulations for finally stepping foot in another world. How do you feel?"
He smiled, then spoke slowly. "Actually…" he paused. "I don't feel a single damned thing."
Goku sighed. "I thought so. You don't look like someone who likes the art of nature."
Hinata shrugged. "What can I say? Only an elf could surprise me at this moment."
Goku smirked. "Then what about that?"
Hinata shut his eyes, his face turning to one of amusement. He didn't need to turn around to know what was there. Goku's smirk was enough to tell him.
Still, he turned to his side, and there it was. A short dwarf-like creature with green skin and black starry pupils. Its skin was smoother than what Hinata had expected, and it almost looked cute.
However, when the creature opened its mouth, revealing rows of fang-like teeth, he withdrew that thought.
"Grrrr!" That was the only sound the bald monster made before lunging at Hinata, a dagger in hand.
Hinata raised his hand to form the slime into something, but nothing was there. Immediately, he twisted his body to the side, narrowly avoiding the goblin's attack.
The goblin seemed to smile at his powerlessness. Hinata glanced one more time at his hand. Only then did he notice that his hands were still black, even though the slime wasn't in use.
"So it has merged with me?"
He raised his head, and a sinister smile formed on his face. "Hey, goblin," he prodded, "do you feel fear?"
As if sensing his confidence, the goblin took a hesitant step forward.
"Hey, Hina, don't mean to break this to you, but using weapons in combat is harder than what you see in anime."
Hinata just smirked. "No need to worry," he said, forming a Katana. "My mom had the biggest kendo dojo in Japan."