Atasha couldn't help but look at him as if she were seeing a fool. She had been saved from death, but he had chosen to take a beating.

"Anyway, if it's necessary to hit you to make you start respecting me, let's do it," Alex said.

The crowd of gnolls gathered around, creating an impromptu circle for the fight. Among them, Lunaria found a place to watch the fight, her eyes fixed on Alex. The murmuring voices faded into expectant silence as Raknar and Alex prepared for the confrontation.

Raknar, with his imposing gnoll figure, stepped forward with a confident fighting stance, his sharp claws gleaming in the sunlight. Alex, seemingly calm and unafraid, adopted a more relaxed yet ready posture.

The fight began when Atasha gave the signal with a gesture of her hand. Raknar, driven by the need to defend his honor and maintain his status, lunged at Alex with a quick claw strike. However, Alex, with agility, dodged the attack, moving with a grace that surprised the gathered gnolls.

The crowd began to murmur, some incredulous at what they were seeing. Raknar was not accustomed to someone easily dodging his attacks. Alex, without losing composure, countered with a quick strike to Raknar's side. Although Raknar blocked the blow with his forearm, the impact shook him, and he stepped back a few paces.

The fight continued with a series of attacks and evasions. Alex, with his agility and speed enhanced by both his training with his father and the power granted by the system during the test, began to gain ground. His ability to read Raknar's movements and anticipate his attacks gave him a notable advantage.

Raknar had finally taken enough punishment and realized that in a normal battle, he was inferior to someone who had never even started training as a warrior. This realization left him somewhat uneasy. If he was already this powerful, how much more so would he become when he began proper training?

The gnoll warrior started to circulate his internal energy, firmly believing that once he started using energy, he would undoubtedly be superior.

On Alex's part, he immediately sensed the change. His keen senses warned him that there was a difference in the gnoll, which was confirmed in their next exchange. Although he could dodge Raknar's attacks, when he counterattacked at the right moments, his blows felt hollow, as if he were hitting a pillow.

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This change in the situation put Alex in a precarious position. He now had no way to strike his opponent, and all he could do was evade and retreat.

Finally, Raknar managed to catch him with a kick to his side, which Alex blocked.

"You're quite skilled for someone who hasn't started training yet. Unfortunately, without any internal energy, you can hardly harm me. This duel is over. Surrender," the gnoll said with a wide grin, clearly relishing his superiority, even if it was just because he had started training before his rival.

"The thing is, I also have my technique. Get ready," Alex's words left Raknar bewildered, but before his eyes, something that shouldn't have been possible appeared.

Alex activated his Ashen Bastion, and his strength surged. His body brimmed with energy. Although maintaining this for a long time would hurt him, if he could finish the fight quickly, there wouldn't be many problems.

This time, it was Alex who initiated the exchange with a flurry of punches aimed at Raknar's face and occasionally his body to exploit his weaknesses. Unlike before, now he could easily break through the enemy's defenses.

After about 20 seconds of brutal punishment, Raknar surrendered, lying on the ground, battered by all the blows. He couldn't help but think that Atasha had set him up. After all, the human was supposed to have no training or experience.

"Atasha, what the hell did you mean when you said he had no training? Obviously, this human belongs to some special force or maybe even the royal guard of some king."

Everyone around looked at Alex inquisitively. After all, it was true that Raknar was a respected warrior. To be defeated so easily and dominantly, Alex couldn't be a nobody.

The young matriarch, on her part, was at a loss for words. She trusted what the young human told her implicitly. Plus, she knew that he had responded to her summons. Her matriarch instincts also told her he wasn't lying. But everything seemed to point in the opposite direction. With all the situations that had occurred, he could hardly be a common member of the human race.

With so many eyes on him, Alex felt like a bully. He realized that he had given a severe beating to someone in recovery and couldn't help but feel guilty.

"I don't know what you mean, but I don't belong to any kingdom or serve any king. I've just arrived in Gramoria; I appeared in the caravan along with all of you. That's all the time I've been here."

Raknar, on the other hand, was stupefied. He didn't want to believe that such a thing was possible, as otherwise, the current strength would be his natural strength.

"Well, let's go to a more private place to talk about what you wanted to discuss."

"Before that, you hadn't said that you would only acknowledge the leadership of whoever defeated you," Atasha said.

Raknar made a disgusted face. He knew he would have to accept defeat, but he had hoped to navigate the situation. Apparently, Alex had no intention of exerting his superiority, but for some reason, Atasha seemed determined to reaffirm the human's position.

"Of course, I accept my defeat," the gnoll simply bowed his head and grumbled, quickening his pace.