Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 168: Telepathy II (3)

Han-Yeol once again realized that he should have discussed his concerns about his financial difficulties with his friends rather than cutting all contact with them. Of course, there was no guarantee that they were going to help him, but that was the least he could do for friends who had been with him through thick and thin for over three years.

[Don’t call me ever again.]

Beep!

That was the end of the call.

“Haa…?I guess I have no choice, since this was all my fault…” Han-Yeol muttered with a sigh before hugging Mavros tightly.

Of course, the hug was gentle so as to not hurt him.

“Kyu! Kyu!”?Mavros cried out and licked Han-Yeol’s cheek after sensing that he was troubled.

“Yeah, I’m alright as long as I have you. Let’s become the strongest duo in the world together, Mavros.”

“Kyu!”

Han-Yeol regretted the fact that he couldn't restore his friendship with his old friend, but he decided not to dwell on it for too long. He was looking forward to the future rather than the past, and he had many things to focus on instead of dwelling on a failed friendship.

‘I have Sung-Jin. That’s enough for me,’?he told himself that, as he tried to appease his heart spiraling into depression.

***

A few days later, Secretary Kim came to Han-Yeol with a piece of news.

"What did you say…?"

"The whole world is bombarding Sung Jin Factory with questions regarding when you will be holding an auction since you rarely step outside and that is the only place you have ties with."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Hmm… I guess even I would be desperate to get a monster pet that would increase my battle prowess…"

"I agree. There are quite a lot of not only wealthy individuals but even Hunters who wish to obtain a monster pet, and the factory is probably getting calls about it as we speak. I know that you were busy so you could not hold the auction, but what do you think of doing it now?"

Han-Yeol nodded in agreement. His ability was indeed like something out of a game, but the world he was living in was the real world and not a game world. He could not hunt twenty-four hours a day, three hundred sixty-five days a year, like a game character.

He was quite busy and had a lot of things to do, but one of the main things he had to do was to create other income streams so that he could become someone truly wealthy.

One of the income streams with the best potential as of the current moment was none other than the sale of monster pets.

"How do you think we should proceed with the auction, Secretary Kim?" Han-Yeol asked without much thought.

However, Secretary Kim was the serious type who did not joke around, so he began to sincerely ponder the question. He came to the conclusion that it was impossible to sell something as valuable as a monster pet with the archaic auction system Korea had.

"Hmm… I have something I want to ask, Han-Yeol-nim."

"What is it?"

"Do you plan to keep auctioning the monster pets off?"

"Hmm… Yeah, I don't see any reason not to, since I can create as many pets as I want as long as I fulfill certain conditions."

Han-Yeol had the ability to supply one monster pet to every Hunter on Earth if he wanted to, but there was no way he was going to do that. It was not only about the money, but more about his conscience he would have to deal with if the Hunters started mistreating the monster pets en masse.

"Then, what do you think about opening your own auction house instead of contracting an existing Korean auction house to do it for you?"

"Opening my own auction house?"

"It does not have to be exclusively an auction house. It could be a trading company that deals with various products too."

"Oh, that sounds like a great idea."

Han-Yeol was already working on establishing the Mavros Group of Companies. He was envisioning turning it into a global enterprise instead of a local one, and having a trading company that would deal with auctioning things did not seem to be a bad idea at all.

"Han-Yeol Hunter-nim is going to start doing business, and it is not like you lack start-up capital, so I think it will be much better for you to open your own company, even if you will face losses in the short run."

Jason Kim might be working as Han-Yeol's secretary for now, but he was a Harvard MBA graduate who ranked at the top of his batch. He might have failed to integrate into the Korean work culture because of its toxicity, but it all worked out in the end as he liked his current job.

Jason was determined to give his all to his new workplace.

‘My employer is not so picky and work is quite relaxed, but most importantly… he pays me a lot,’?Jason thought while reminiscing about his friends back in the United States, who were working themselves to death. After all, the United States was just as overworked as South Korea.

"Hmm... I have a lot of things I need to do, but I lack talented individuals around me," Han-Yeol muttered.

"What do you think of hiring en masse?" Secretary Kim suggested.

South Korea had high unemployment, and recent statistics mentioned that around ten percent of the youth were currently unemployed, along with four percent of the total working populace.

Some might consider this figure to be quite low, but it was actually quite high when considering that the government included contract workers, temporary workers, part-time workers, and even freelancers in the statistics to reduce the unemployment numbers.

This was the reason why Han-Yeol received a torrent of applications whenever he hired people, and the fact that he was paying above the industry average made the job opening extremely lucrative, even for those who already had a job.

However, Han-Yeol didn't care whether the unemployment rate was high or not, as he had no intention of hiring from the market.

"Secretary Kim."

"Yes, Han-Yeol-nim?"

"Do you have many friends?"

"Pardon me...?"

"You graduated from Harvard MBA, right?"

"Ah, yes, I did."

Secretary Kim may have been working as a secretary after graduating from Harvard, but he still took great pride in both his work and his alma mater.

There was a misconception that Americans weren't as focused on their school or grades as Asians, as they prioritized different things in life. However, Americans actually placed significant value on the university they graduated from, much more so than Asians.

Not only that, Americans had a strong attachment to their alma maters, which was why many of them donated or gave back to their universities, unlike Asians. Secretary Kim was no exception to this.

"Then, do you know anyone from your university or class whom we can trust and hire?"

"Ah, are you planning to directly hire Harvard graduates instead of recruiting from the market?"

"Yes, I'll be paying them above normal wages. So, do you have anyone in mind?"

Han-Yeol might not have started the Mavros Group yet, but he was planning to turn it into a multinational corporation as quickly as possible. To do that, he would need many talented individuals, and the best place to find them was none other than the Ivy League universities in the United States.

‘Anyone knows that the South Korean education system sucks,’?he thought.

Han-Yeol searched for reasons not to go to university back when he was in high school, and one of the reasons he found was that the South Korean education system was flawed. In fact, everyone probably knew just how flawed the system was, but they had no choice but to study for the sake of obtaining a diploma.

At that time, Han-Yeol considered it merely an excuse, but as he grew older, he realized the true extent of the flaws in the education system.

After a moment of deep thought, Secretary Kim replied, "Yes, I understand. I will inquire and source the best candidates."

Secretary Kim pondered about his batchmates who were working in the United States. His batch was known as the 'Golden Generation' of Harvard, and many companies were interested in hiring them. It wouldn't be easy to recruit them with just a conversation, but he still had to give it a try since it was his employer's directive.

‘I don’t think it’s going to work, but I guess I should give it a shot,’?he thought.

Han-Yeol could discern Secretary Kim's thoughts from the expression in his eyes. Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck him. "Why don't we take a different approach instead of being rigid? What if you organize a reunion party for your batchmates?"

"A reunion party?" Secretary Kim questioned.

.

"Yes, invite them to Korea for a reunion gathering. They may not be willing to spend money to come to a small Asian country when they're busy with their own lives. So, let them know that we will cover all of their expenses during the trip. Present it as a casual event, not an interview of any kind. What do you think?"

"I... I think that's an excellent idea, and I should be able to invite many of them."

"Hmm... What if we also invite individuals from other universities? Do you think we can convince them by offering substantial donations to their alma maters if they attend?"

There existed fierce competition among top universities in the United States, and these institutions required significant funds to succeed in their rivalries. It was common for them to organize galas or charity events to bring together alumni and potential donors to secure the necessary finances.

Han-Yeol decided to capitalize on this by enticing them with a sizable donation and luring them to his party.

"Then we'll seize the opportunity to recruit some of them, am I correct?"

"Yes, that's precisely what we'll do. After all, there's no such thing as a free lunch, right? I need to at least break even on my investments."

Han-Yeol understood the scarcity of exceptional individuals and acknowledged that talented people were worth the money he was willing to spend. If he could hire skilled individuals to oversee his companies through this event, he knew he wouldn't be at a loss.

For Korean companies, hiring Harvard MBAs was exceedingly challenging, as most preferred not to work in a small Asian country. Moreover, no Korean company would be willing to offer the high salaries they demanded.

‘I need a nice rod and bait to catch good fish.’?Han-Yeol decided to shrug off the expenses the party was going to incur as an investment.

For instance, Secretary Kim received a starting salary of eighty million won when he joined S Group, which was considered very high compared to other Korean office workers. However, this amount paled in comparison to what American conglomerates were paying their employees.

Despite being Korean, Secretary Kim felt undervalued and mistreated by his company at the time. It was evident that non-Koreans would scoff at any similar offers made to them.

However, Han-Yeol firmly believed in rewarding individuals based on their abilities and merits.

"Well, we can't immediately host the party without facing the logistical challenges it presents. So, why don't you handle the auction first?" Han-Yeol suggested.

Secretary Kim blinked a few times in response to the command but soon accepted it without hesitation, seeing it as his opportunity to shine.

"Yes, please leave it to me!" he exclaimed.

Han-Yeol didn't feel a pressing need to urgently hire someone as he already had a highly talented person by his side, and finding a secretary wouldn't be difficult.

"I will strive to prepare the best auction this country has ever seen!" Secretary Kim exclaimed once again.

"Why don't you seize this opportunity to showcase your capabilities?" Han-Yeol said with a smirk.

"I will not disappoint you, Han-Yeol-nim!" Secretary Kim replied with a passionate voice.

***

While Secretary Kim busied himself with preparations for the auction, Han-Yeol immersed himself in his collection hobby. He indulged in collecting supercars, private jets, helicopters, and various other luxurious items during his newfound spare time.

It was often said that money changed a person, and in Han-Yeol's case, this seemed to hold true. Even after becoming a Hunter, he didn't pay much attention to luxury goods. However, everything changed once he started earning exorbitant sums of money.

His income was so substantial that he could purchase products worth billions or even tens of billions of won without making a dent in his bank account. He even casually bought a private jet costing him one hundred billion won while out shopping.

‘Hmm… The mansion is too small for me to thoroughly enjoy my hobby… Should I buy beachfront land and build a huge mansion over there?’?he wondered.

Initially, Han-Yeol had concerns about how he would fully utilize the mansion due to its immense size when he first acquired it. However, as time went on, he began to feel that the mansion was not large enough for his needs. He had numerous buildings he wanted to construct and a plethora of items he desired to keep, and gradually he found himself running out of space.

‘Should I also build my own vacation mansion at one of the most famous tourist spots in the world?’?he even went as far as thinking internationally.

It appeared that Han-Yeol was finding it challenging to control his spending after his great success.

However, the notable distinction between him and others was that he had earned all of his money through his own abilities, rather than relying on sheer luck. This was why he wasn't concerned about his spending, as he had confidence in his ability to replenish any amount he spent. Furthermore, there was potential for him to multiply his earnings moving forward.