Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 180: Best Auction of All Time (1)

Han-Yeol's father was not naive. While he was friendly and beloved by those around him, he wasn't foolish enough to offer unconditional help to others without reason. This was precisely why he became cautious when Cheol-Gab reached out to him after a long period of silence.

[You must be quite busy these days.]

"Haha! Yeah, the billiard place I run has turned into a franchise, so I'm quite busy because we're planning to launch our second and third shops simultaneously."

Thanks to Han-Yeol's unwavering support, Han-Yeol's father's business was experiencing rapid growth. Moreover, with billiards being chosen as one of the sports for the upcoming Berlin Olympics, there was currently a billiard boom in South Korea.

The sudden surge in the billiard industry proved to be a tremendous opportunity for Han-Yeol's father. He wholeheartedly invested in his shop, attracting numerous inquiries from individuals interested in franchising the brand.

The billiard shop was now consistently packed throughout the day, generating substantial profits without requiring Han-Yeol's assistance any longer.

[Ah… As expected of hyung-nim! You were quite the shrewd person back in the day!]

“No need to exaggerate now. Haha!”

[So I was thinking, why don't we gather like we used to back in the day? Mr. Kim and Mr. Choi also miss you a lot, hyung-nim.]

Mr. Kim and Mr. Choi used to be his closest drinking buddies, but they, too, had severed ties with him during his financial difficulties.

His current friends were those he met after recovering from his illness or those who supported him throughout his illness. If they were to learn that Cheol-Gab suddenly called him out of the blue, they would likely be extremely angry.

They would likely reprimand Cheol-Gab for having the audacity to reach out and warn him to stay away, or else face the consequences.

“Aigoo… I should see you some time, but I’m really busy these days. I don’t think I’ll be free anytime soon, so why don’t I just give you a call when I’m free?”

[I-Is that so…? A-Alright then… Please give me a call when you’re free, hyung-nim!]

“Alright, I’m busy now, so I’ll hang up.”

[Okay, hyung-nim!]

Beep!

If his friends were to hear how he abruptly ended the call just now, they would probably look at him in a strange manner.

‘It looks like those two put him up to it, judging by what he said,’?he thought.

They never changed at all. Whenever they gathered, they would always ask him or Cheol-Gab to handle the difficult tasks while they themselves simply sat back and enjoyed the fruits of their labor.

‘It’s probably a relief that they cut ties with me…’?he realized that it was indeed a blessing in disguise that he was able to get rid of such ‘friends’ without even having to do it himself.

Judging by this event, it was evident that Han-Yeol's positive mindset was likely inherited from his father.

“Phew…”?he let out a sigh and decided to start working again when…

Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!?

…his troubles were only getting started.

***

While Han-Yeol peacefully slept alongside Mavros, his father was busy dealing with the sudden influx of friends, relatives, and acquaintances who had contacted him out of nowhere.

Indeed, Han-Yeol slept soundly and woke up feeling refreshed. He was now heading to the S Hotel to inspect the venue where his auction would be hosted.

Meanwhile, he was grumbling while on the way to the hotel, ‘I mean… Does it make sense that we don’t have any seven-star hotels when our country has developed so much?’

The participants in this auction were truly affluent individuals. They weren't just rich; they were either powerful Hunters themselves or individuals who controlled numerous powerful Hunters.

Given this fact, Han-Yeol deemed it crucial to host the auction at a high-quality venue. However, he couldn't find any seven-star hotels in the country that matched the ones he had seen on the internet in other countries.

While the title "seven-star" didn't carry much weight and was primarily a marketing gimmick, it was still a distinction reserved for hotels that truly stood out in terms of luxury.

After failing to find a seven-star hotel, Han-Yeol attempted to search for a six-star hotel but met with no success in that regard either.

In the end, he reluctantly decided to book the main hall of South Korea's best hotel, the S Hotel, to host the event.

‘Secretary Kim will take care of it, but I have to check it out with my own eyes to be satisfied,’?he thought.

It was not a good habit for an employer to nitpick the work done by their employees, but it was quite irresponsible for them to be unaware of what was going on as well.

This auction held great importance for Han-Yeol, and he wanted everything to be perfect, ensuring a seamless and error-free process.

Upon arriving at the hotel's entrance, a bellman opened the door for him, and Secretary Kim stood beside them.

"Welcome, Han-Yeol-nim," Secretary Kim greeted him with a bow.

Han-Yeol inquired, "How's everything going?"

"It is proceeding smoothly. We have already reached an agreement with the S Hotel to serve our VIP attendees, and we are meticulously attending to every detail to ensure the entire event is flawless."

"That sounds good. Can you walk me through it right now?"

"Most certainly. Please, come this way."

Although Han-Yeol wasn't particularly interested in the minor details, he followed Secretary Kim as they headed straight to the main hall.

Suddenly, a gentleman appeared beside him and asked, "Are you Lee Han-Yeol Hunter-nim by any chance?"

"Yes?" Han-Yeol responded.

"Hoho! It is an honor to meet you. I am Choi Chung-Hyeon, the general manager of this hotel."

"It's nice to meet you too," Han-Yeol replied, and they shook hands.

"I would like to express my gratitude for choosing our hotel to host your important auction."

"The S Hotel is South Korea's finest, so it is only fitting for the best hotel to host the best people."

"Hahaha! Your kind words mean a lot to me as the general manager of a hotel I have dedicated my entire life to."

"Please don't mention it."

Han-Yeol didn't hold back on praising the general manager because it didn't cost him anything to say those words. Instead, it allowed him to establish a personal connection with the general manager, increasing the chances of a successful auction.

However, it was evident that the S Hotel was already putting in their best effort, considering that this auction event would be the center of attention for all media outlets. This was evident in their busy preparations to refurbish the entire place.

They replaced all the old decorations with brand new ones and canceled bookings for their most luxurious suite rooms to accommodate the auction guests. Additionally, they ensured that their top chefs would be working with the finest ingredients for the event.

While the S Hotel may have been the best hotel in the country, their reputation outside of the country was not as well-known. This was precisely why the hotel was going all out this time, recognizing it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to establish their name on a global scale.

***

Tak! Tak! Tak! Tak!?

“Hey! Hammer these nails properly!”

“Move the tables here!”

The ongoing interior works in the main hall of the S Hotel created a bustling atmosphere. Initially, Han-Yeol had only planned to decorate the space, but the hotel noticed certain areas that appeared aged and decided to renovate the entire hall. They wanted to demonstrate their dedication in ensuring the auction's success and to dissuade Han-Yeol from considering other venues.

"It seems quite busy here," remarked Han-Yeol.

"Yes, the main hall was previously used for large parties and was not suitable for hosting an auction. However, we are currently working tirelessly to renovate the entire space, making it suitable for auctioning various items and hosting different events," explained the general manager.

The S Group, the parent company of the S Hotel, had a deep understanding of Han-Yeol. As the leading conglomerate in South Korea, they had solidified their position by knowing when and where to seize profitable opportunities. The group had significant involvement in the Hunter industry, and one of their family members happened to be Master Hee-Yun.

Being a global company riding on their status as South Korea's top conglomerate and benefiting from having the country's second-ranking Hunter as a family member, there was no chance that the S Group would overlook the potential financial gains from Han-Yeol.

Although they learned from various sources that Han-Yeol was planning to start his own business, they chose not to approach him from that angle. Instead, their strategic team concluded that establishing a strong relationship with him alone would be sufficient to profit from their association.

Their chosen method was to support Han-Yeol in various aspects that he may encounter difficulties with once he embarked on his business venture.

‘It’s obvious that this big event is not going to be a one-time thing,’?the general manager thought.

Not only did he hold this belief, but the CEO and directors of the hotel shared the same perspective. The news articles had reported that Han-Yeol had the ability to hatch an unlimited number of monster pets, which solidified their certainty that there would be more auctions in the near future.

To successfully host all of these auctions, their approach was simple: they had to ensure that the first one proceeded flawlessly. This would set a high standard and establish a reputation for their ability to handle future events.

‘All of the other auctions will be ours as long as we can successfully complete this first one,’?the general manager recalled what the hotel’s true objective was.

The general manager guided Han-Yeol through the entire main hall and the other facilities around it, allowing him to personally see everything.

“What do you think?” the general manager asked.

“It looks good,” Han-Yeol replied.

He thought, ‘It’s a bit lacking compared to what I really wanted…’

However, he decided to be content with what he had, knowing that it was impossible to find a hotel in the country that would satisfy all of his requirements. Besides, his main goal was to sell the monster pets to the highest bidder, not to prioritize the accommodation of the attendees.

‘I want their money, but I’m not the one in a rush,’?he smirked.

He could simply go out and hunt diligently to make money if he chose not to sell the monster pets. However, the attendees had no other option to purchase the monster pets except from Han-Yeol. This marked the key difference between being replaceable and irreplaceable.

“Secretary Kim.”

“Yes, Han-Yeol-nim?”

“The auction will be a week from now, right?”

“Yes, you are correct.”

This was not the original date for the auction, but they had to make a slight alteration to accommodate all of the attending VIPs.

“Let’s do our best, shall we?”

“Please leave it to me,” Secretary Kim replied with a bow.

Then, he thought, ‘I will definitely make myself stand out to Han-Yeol-nim through this opportunity.’

Being the right-hand man of someone greatly increased one's chances of succeeding in life, and this was especially true when serving someone like Han-Yeol, who was currently one of the most famous Hunters in the world.

Han-Yeol entrusted all the responsibilities to Secretary Kim and leisurely counted the days until the auction.

Meanwhile, the ultra-rich and Master Rank Hunters from all over the world began arriving in South Korea one by one after being notified of the auction's date.

Incheon International Airport and Gimpo International Airport were so crowded that they could no longer accommodate private jets, forcing some attendees to park their jets in China or Japan before taking a regular flight to South Korea.

The international community criticized the South Korean government's incompetence in handling the situation, and the government couldn't refute most of the claims as they were mostly true.

The door opened, and ten white males wearing suits and sunglasses walked in. Despite the daytime crowd, these ten men stood out due to their matching outfits, though they didn't particularly care about the attention they received.

[So this is South Korea?] the man at the front asked in Russian.

[Yes, the monster pet auction will take place six days later at the S Hotel.]

[Alright, we will have to acquire at least two of those.]

[Yes, boss!]

These men were from the Red Mafia of Russia, and the man at the front was the second-in-command of the Red Mafia. However, it was widely known that he was stronger than the first-in-command and was the true leader of the organization.

The Red Mafia had a strict rule that stated the second-in-command had to execute the first-in-command as soon as they became weaker. However, this man was both ruthless and easygoing, so he didn't bother enforcing that rule.

He preferred to live a free life as the second-in-command rather than tying himself down as the official boss of the organization.

Ironically, this was the only reason the first-in-command was still alive.

[Kekeke! It looks like things are going to be quite entertaining here!]

This man was always on the lookout for new challenges and exciting experiences, so getting his hands on the monster pet was an absolute must for him.

Known as Ivan, he was the first to arrive in South Korea among the attendees, and soon others followed, including other influential individuals attending the auction.

A total of three hundred and ten influential figures from twenty-four different countries registered for the auction, and that number didn't even account for the numerous assistants and servants they brought along.

These three hundred and ten people held enough influence to wipe South Korea off the map if they whimsically decided to do so. However, it was quite ironic that they personally traveled all the way to this tiny country just to secure one of the ten exclusive tickets for the rights to obtain a monster pet being sold by Han-Yeol.