"IRON AND ASHES" is one of the most read web novel in the community. On its official platform alone, it had racked up 149 million reads across 2,000+ chapters—and if we account for piracy, it's numbers triples!
It had a rather simple premise—a hero fighting corrupted monsters and nations using his abilities. What made it good was that the characters weren't stupid. The MC wasn't stupid, and neither were the villains.
I think I made a mistake there. Yeah, the story is actually pretty complex but starts small—that's more like it.
Was the MC strong? Yeah, strong as hell. But he still struggled against necromancers and mages. Undoubtedly, what made it popular on its platform was the artwork readers received at the end of every chapter—drawn by the author himself.
It mostly was to illustrate the environment/characters and give you a sense of immersion.
But now, three years after its release, today—its anniversary—is the greatest day for the entire fanbase.
"IRON AND ASHES is getting an anime adaptation!"
NPC 1: Is this for real?
NPC 2: Yeah, dude, I was there when Brainrot-kun (the author) announced it!
NPC 3: Hell yeah, boys! Let's drink tonight in celebration—it's on me! We're finally gonna see cat girls fight in 4K.
NPC 4: Yeah, I just hope they invest most of the budget into the physics department!
That was mostly the reaction from the boys' side.
Meanwhile, on the girls' side...
NPC 1: Oh my god, this has to be a dream come true, right?
NPC 2: Yes, girl! I can't wait to see what Gale's abs look like in 4K.
NPC 3: Okay, hear me out—what about that Chris dude?
NPC 1: You mean the ogre chief?
NPC 2: Yeah! OMG, I can't wait either!
NPC 3: It's going to be so good!
Moving on, the anime was confirmed to be in early production and is predicted to air sometime in May next year. Despite the glaze it receives, I do like it. Is it my all-time favorite? No—but I'm a fan regardless. (For the record, my favorite is about a blond ninja who loves ramen.)
Although I know more about this story than almost anyone—since I'm a moderator for a discussion forum dedicated to it—Once the news broke, two months flew by, and the community was more alive than ever. Cosplays flooded social media, and unofficial online competitions popped up to decide who would be the "best fit" for a fan-made live-action adaptation.
Even I voted!
Two months later, the winners were announced...
...and sadly, none of my picks made it.
Since the whole cosplay trend was still booming, my entire feed and recommendations were filled with cosplay content—even from completely unrelated fanbases jumping on the trend.
A week later, after school, while scrolling through posts, I stumbled across a cosplay of a "meme of the year" character.
He's pretty "UNKNOWN" even within the novel's world. He randomly shows up later in the story, slaps what people would call a calamity, and then vanishes. Fans started calling him the ultimate "dad who went out for milk and never came back," lol.
In the latest chapter, I believe it was revealed that he really is that overpowered—and that he's officially taken the MC as his disciple.We still don't know why he disappears so often, though.
The post had insane numbers—millions of views, with thousands of likes and comments. Some were spamming meme gifs, others were hunting for the outfit. Some were even asking for a name when it was right in front of their faces.
And me?
I just dropped a comment, fully expecting it to get lost in the void we call the INTERENT:
"Teach me the ways, Grandmaster," I said.
Then, I swiped on, off to the next post until my 5-minute break- I mean my now 40 one ends so that I get back to studying.
Ten minutes later, my phone buzzed. I had started reading 5 minutes ago.
"A notification".
Hmm, "Did someone like my comment? Reply to it? …Wait, did I somehow get banned for being too pure for the internet?! yes, it has to be!
I tapped on it thinking those things.
But it was a reply… from the creator of the previous post?
WHAT?!
How?! Did he seriously read through the entire comment section?!
Heart pounding for some reason, I clicked -Expand- to see his response.
It was in Chinese. I roughly translated it using google translate, it said:
"Send me a private message."
…I blinked Twice.
"…Is this a translation error? Or some kind of joke?"
Not taking it seriously, I shrugged and continued reading.
Then—
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
More notifications. I will just take a look later.
~3 hours later~
My comment had gotten 200+ replies and 2400 likes ?! wow. Let see what would happen if I add this:
"Thank you, Master. I swear to work hard."
Then I put my phone down and continued reading.
Ten days have passed since then.
I spent those days studying and helping out at a local orphanage I often volunteer at. It was all unpaid, of course. I'm not exactly a good guy—but I don't think I'm bad either.
There are kids my age who help out too. The place is run by an elderly couple doing their absolute best to make sure the children get an education and could be feed well. They're supported by a few adult volunteers who work as staff.
DATE: June 22, 2022
The sun dipped below the rooftops, casting long shadows across the courtyard as the last of the day's work wrapped up.
Staff:Stretching with a yawn "Whew, that's it for today. Thanks for the help, Jin Young!"
Me: No problem.
My name isn't Jin Young, but at least she got half of it right. I'd rather not correct her every time—makes me feel like the bad guy when I do.
I started brushing the dust off my sleeves with a good ol' rub—
Staff:Beaming "Oh! Minseok, Soyeon, Hana, Taehyun, Jisoo—heading home already? Be careful on the way!"
They started chatting as I watched from a distance.Well, I guess some kids are just more sociable than others.
SighI think I should leave...
"See you tomorrow!" she called after me.
I raised a hand in a lazy farewell but didn't look back.
Just as I turned toward the gate, a familiar voice called out from behind me.
Old Lady:Softly "Oh, are you heading home, my son?"
"Yeah, I am."
Old Lady: "Here, take this before you go. I made you dinner."
"You didn't have to, but… thank you."
Old Lady:Smiling warmly "Take care of yourself, Jin Hoo. I hope I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah… thank you, ma'am. You really didn't have to, but this—it's nice. I'll make sure to stop by tomorrow."
That felt warm.And hey—free dinner for tonight.
I went to home right after that, I Opened the door with a key to an old apartment
"I'm home..." I said out loud to the empty house I am residing in.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!" yelled the neighbor.
"YOU ARE AN ORPHAN, SO ACT LIKE IT!" he added.
It was like any other day!
Ahh, I hope I get rich soon so I can fry this guy's ass. Like, really—people are stupid and cruel! Good thing this guy doesn't have a girlfriend. Girls really have won!
I dropped my bag on the floor, kicked off my shoes, and headed straight to the kitchen. I added some rice to the meal the old lady gave me, heated it up, and switched on the TV to catch up on a K-drama.
Just as I took the last bite, the lights suddenly went out.
"Great. Well, at least I charged my phone today."
I tossed the empty plate aside and crawled into bed, but sleep wasn't coming easy. My mind was restless, and the silence in the apartment didn't help.
Eventually, I grabbed my phone and leaned it toward the wall, trying to catch a sliver of Wi-Fi from the crazy neighbor next door.
Now that I think about it… it's been ten days since I last commented on that guy's post, right?
I opened my phone after watching a few random YouTube videos. The first thing that caught my eye was a title:
"The Strongest Character in IRON AND ASHES Is NOT Who You Think It Is."
"…Huh? What the heck? Are these leaks or something?"
Curious, I clicked on it.
The video was a meme theory, claiming that I—yes, me, a random internet commenter—was actually a secret character in Iron and Ashes.
Seriously, people can make content out of anything these days. Honestly? I respect it.
…Wait. What if I gave them more stuff to talk about? I mean, I could actually get popular from this, right?
Hehe-hehe.
Let's see how popular I—'335k likes on my comment?'
I blinked. I was just messing around—and now this?
I couldn't help but smile. It was ridiculous, but the attention was real.And then I saw it—10k subscribers. Holy moly.
Feeling the rush, I decided to reply to the guy's video with something totally outrageous—just to keep the madness going.
I hit send on my reply:
"Thank you for your kindness, master. I swear on my balls to work really hard—100 times more even!"
I chuckled, shaking my head.
What's the worst that could happen?
With that, I put my phone down.
It was already late, so I decided to sleep.
I locked the doors, double-checked the windows, and made sure everything was secure. The apartment was eerily silent—the only sound, the faint ticking of my wall clock.
At last, I whispered a prayer for my sweet grandma—God rest her soul—to watch over her grandson.And my sweet grandfather, too.
Sleep took me instantly.
TWO DAYS LATER
BREAKING NEWS!!!
"15-Year-Old Missing from Studio Apartment in Busan, Korea!"
"A 15-year-old boy named Jin Hoo has mysteriously vanished from his home. CCTV footage confirms he entered his apartment two nights ago, but by morning, his belongings were completely gone, and the front door was found wide open.
The only suspicious activity? An unidentified man wearing a white Chinese robe and carrying a staff was seen entering the building—but bizarrely, neither he nor the boy were ever recorded leaving."
"Residents are shaken, especially after witnesses reported being unable to recall the man's face"
Reporter: "Let's turn to the authorities. Sergeant Joon Park, what can you tell us? And why are you arresting the neighbor?"
Sergeant Park: "While investigating the scene, we found the neighbor had been acting suspiciously. Multiple residents claimed they saw him loitering near the boy's apartment in the days leading up to the disappearance. Upon searching his residence, we discovered a stash of illegal videos on his computer. He's now facing up to 15 years in prison on unrelated charges. As for the missing boy—there's still no definitive connection, but we're pursuing all leads."
...
~Prologue ends~
~Karma comes for us all~
and
~everything great begins when a man bets on his family jewels!!!~