God-Tier Extraction Talent: Reincarnated in a Game-like World!

Chapter 435 435: Finding Answers

When Serpahina had woken up in the blood tower, there had been a deep hole in her head. Apart from knowing that she was some kind of vampire monarch, there was no recollection of any memories in her mind.

To make matters even worse, she was not only cursed with loss of memory but also an intense urge to find her true identity. For every moment that passed, it felt as if she was losing more of herself.

Right now, faced with someone who could potentially reveal everything about her, she was temporarily at a loss for words. Perhaps it was because she had been looking forward to this moment for too long, or maybe the sudden pressure overwhelmed her, but right now all the questions had temporarily vanished from her head.

Gabriel watched silently. He knew this feeling too well. It was just like the times when he was in high school, spending hours cramming, only to forget everything when exam time arrived.

It was an odd comparison, but he felt she was in a similar situation.

After taking a couple of breaths to recollect her bearings, Serpahina shifted her gaze back to Dominic, who cowered in fear, feeling as if he was unworthy to witness that stare.

"Alright, so first of all…" she began. She paused, her gaze alternating between Gabriel and Dominic before she spoke. "What is my true name."

With no recollection of her past, the vampire queen had been given the name Serpahina by Gabriel. To be honest, it was a name she really liked, especially when it was spoken by him. Technically, he was the only one who called her that, as she had yet to reveal herself to anyone else.

However, at the same time, there was still the urge to know. It was the most important missing piece. Even though she had sworn to continue using the name Serpahina, it still did not hurt to learn her real one.

Dominic nodded confidently, a small grin on his face.

"Your majesty's name is…"

Gabriel leaned forward. So did Serpahina, waiting in anticipation. Their reasons were different. While she only wanted to satisfy her urge, Gabriel wanted to know if her name might somehow be connected to the popular vampire counts created by the game developers, the ones pretending to be royalty.

Dominic took a breath to answer.

But something was terribly wrong.

His eyes widened as he clutched his throat. He gasped, his face turning pale. He opened his mouth to speak, but only a choking sound came out. Panic twisted his features. He coughed as if an unseen force had gripped him tightly.

They watched in confusion as his hands clawed at his neck, trying to pull away whatever was strangling him. He let out a broken sound and stumbled backward. He coughed again, each convulsion harder than the last. His eyes rolled upward. For a long, silent moment, only his heavy breathing filled the air.

Then he collapsed to the ground.

His body jerked and convulsed in small spasms.

Gabriel rushed over.

"Dominic!" he called out, kneeling beside him and checking for a pulse.

Serpahina froze, her heart pounding in her chest, her face darkening.

He shook Dominic gently. After a moment, he turned him onto his side, then slowly closed his eyes. Gabriel looked up at Serpahina and spoke quietly.

"He's gone."

She dropped to her knees beside the body and placed a trembling hand on Dominic's cold forehead. His eyes were open and fixed on nothing. There was no blood on the floor and no sign of injury, but the lack of a pulse told everything.

There had been no wound.

Dominic had simply seized and died.

It was like an invisible hand had strangled him.

Serpahina's breath caught in her throat.

Gabriel stood, scanning the room, thinking perhaps an invisible assassin had managed to sneak in without his knowledge and strike.

However, after extending his perception far and wide, he sensed nothing. Even if there had been an assassin, how powerful were their concealment skills to fool both Gabriel and Sophie, who had relatively high stats even among hero ranks?

"No weapon. No sign of poison," Gabriel murmured. He turned back to Serpahina. "Someone tried to stop us from learning your name."

Her nails dug into her palm as she glared at Dominic's motionless form, her eyes flashing with intense anger.

"Why would anyone kill him?" she whispered through clenched teeth. "Why would they want to stop me?"

Gabriel stepped closer and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. His voice was soft but firm.

"I think they're afraid of what you might learn about yourself. They don't want your name known. Maybe that's the trigger for you to recover your identity."

It was a wild guess, one he was not fully certain of.

Her lips quivered as she slowly shook her head.

"So it was him. It must have been the one who put me in the tower. They used me, locked me away. Now they've killed just to keep me in the dark."

"Yes. It seems so," Gabriel agreed. "Whoever did this must have thought Dominic could tell you the truth. If he knew your name, he would have said it. They couldn't risk that."

He looked up at her and gave a reassuring smile.

"You still have me, Serpahina. I won't let you face this alone. We will find your memories. I promise you that. We have time."

She fought for control. Her jaw tightened, her fists clenched around her knees, and for the first time since they met, it felt as if the vampire queen was about to break into tears.

"I wanted my name, Gabriel," she said quietly. "I needed it. For every moment that passes, the longer I remain oblivious, the more I'm losing myself."

Gabriel understood her feelings. He would have felt the same if he forgot all his loved ones one day.

His hands hovered over her petite figure for a moment as if hesitating, then he gently squeezed her shoulder, his voice calm.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Serpahina. You did nothing wrong. We'll find another way."

Her eyes filled with tears as she steadied her breathing. Slowly, she nodded. She raised her head and stood up straight. Her eyes hardened with resolve, her appearance steadying as she forced down the grief.

"We should see what's happening out there," Gabriel said, his voice low but firm.

She nodded and followed behind him.

As they exited the building, Grizzlenaught appeared and touched Dominic's corpse, and they both simultaneously disappeared.