Completed

I Forged Them in Darkness, and They Buried Me in It

养成反派女主后，她们追来了

Native Language Chinese

Released 2023

Author匿123

TypeWeb Novel (CN)

Original Ch.: 312

Translated Ch.: 301

Rank: #204

Last Update: March 20, 2026

Original Pub.: Qidian

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7.8

I Forged Them in Darkness, and They Buried Me in It is a popular novel that blends Action, Adult, Drama and more. Written by the author 匿123. A total of 301 chapters have been translated and the novel is complete.

Synopsis

Chen An awakened to the Villainess Cultivation System with a single purpose: to mold potential heroines into perfect villainesses.
Each task he completed brought him closer to achieving eternal life. Across nine lifetimes, he played the roles of mentor, manipulator, and martyr, guiding his chosen girls into darkness.
They betrayed him. They misunderstood him. They killed him. Yet, in every life, he fulfilled his role.
Now, reborn into the real world with his memories sealed, Chen An desires nothing more than a quiet, uneventful existence.
However, peace never comes easily for the wicked.
One by one, the villainesses he once shaped return, their eyes filled with love, hate, and obsession.
To their pleading stares and haunted gazes, Chen An has only one response.
“Sorry. I don’t know you.”

🛡️ System Interface: The “Martyr of the Abyss” Protocol

I Forged Them in Darkness, and They Buried Me in It is a high-concept Cultivation/Reincarnation tragedy that explores the psychological aftermath of a man forced to be the architect of his own destruction. The protagonist, Chen An, was bound to a “Villainess Cultivation System” for nine lifetimes, tasked with raising heroines into powerful villainesses who were destined to misunderstand and eventually kill him.

Now reborn in a “real world” with his memories initially sealed, he seeks a peaceful life. However, the women he molded—now god-like entities with their own memories of the past—are crossing dimensions to find him. It is a story of obsessive regret vs. emotional exhaustion.

Component	Classification	Tactical Implication
The System Debt	Narrative Engine	The MC’s “System” required him to be the villain in the girls’ stories to grant them power, creating a permanent cycle of trauma.
Emotional Deadness	MC Archetype	After nine lives of betrayal and death, Chen An is functionally an empty shell, indifferent to both threats and pleas for forgiveness.
Memory Displacement	Pacing Mechanic	The story heavily utilizes “Flashback Arcs” to show the bond-building and eventual betrayal in previous lives.
The “I Don’t Know You” Trop	Conflict Driver	The core tension arises from the girls’ desperate need for atonement vs. the MC’s genuine desire to remain a stranger.

📂 System Interface: The Status Window (Chen An)

Attribute	Classification	Description
Core Identity	The Exhausted Mentor	A man who has played every role from “Evil Master” to “Corrupt Priest” just to fulfill system quests.
Power Level	Sealed/Passive OP	While he retains the combat instincts of nine lives, he is extremely passive, only acting when his “quiet life” is directly threatened.
Mental State	Absolute Apathy	He doesn’t hate the villainesses for killing him; he simply no longer cares that they exist.
Social Role	The “Tool”	Historically treated as a stepping stone for the heroines’ growth, leading to a void where a personality should be.

Action Adult Drama Fantasy Harem Mature Psychological Romance Seinen Xianxia Xuanhuan

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Editor's Note

⚠️ Narrative Fragmentation. The story jumps between different lifetimes (e.g., a Cultivation world, a Western Fantasy setting with witches). These transitions can be jarring and throw off the pacing.

The "Passive" Protagonist. Readers looking for a proactive MC will be frustrated. Chen An's primary trait is his refusal to engage with the plot or the women chasing him.

Squandered Potential. While the premise is S-tier, many reviews cite a "catastrophic failure" in the final arcs where major plot threads are abandoned and the ending feels rushed.

The "Cringe" vs. "Grief" Balance. It fluctuates between deep, atmospheric tragedy and typical "harem jealousy" tropes that can feel repetitive.

*312 chapters of betrayal, burnout, and a protagonist who just wants to be left alone. Complete — but stop at chapter 150 for the best experience.*

Experience Curve

Ch. 1–47 (The Awakening): ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – The Hook. Establishes the "Present Day" mystery and the MC's cold personality. It builds anticipation for the first meeting with a past-life villainess.

Ch. 48–150 (The Golden Era): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – The Peak. The strongest arcs where the flashbacks feel meaningful and the "I don't know you" rejection provides peak emotional catharsis.

Ch. 151–247 (The Interminable Slog): ⭐⭐⭐ – The Decline. The plot begins to "spiral out of the author's control." Flashbacks become repetitive, and the MC's passivity starts to feel like a narrative wall.

Ch. 248–312 (The Abrupt End): ⭐ – The Crash. The fourth arc ends with zero closure. Over half of the dangling plot threads are ignored, leaving the reader with a sense of "squandered potential."

WebNovelDB Review

6 /10

A brilliant, subversive premise that struggles under the weight of inconsistent pacing and a deeply unsatisfying conclusion.

World Building: 7/10. Each "Lifetime" flashback offers a unique setting, but the constant jumping prevents any one world from feeling fully fleshed out.

Emotional Impact: 8/10 (Early) / 2/10 (Late). The initial tragedy of his betrayal hits hard, but the impact diminishes as the cycle repeats too many times without resolution.

Protagonist: 5/10. His apathy is a logical result of his trauma, but it makes him a very difficult character to root for or connect with over 300 chapters.

Translation Quality: 6/10. Varies significantly; some arcs feel like standard MTL while others are more polished.

The Good: The unique concept of a "Villain-Maker" and the visceral satisfaction of him rejecting the women who once killed him.

The Bad: The author admitted to "dragging" plots out (Ch 20 plot solved in Ch 200) and the ending is an abrupt "slap in the face" to long-term readers.

The Archetype: The "Empty Vessel." He is less a person and more a monument to the trauma inflicted by the System.

The Final Verdict: Read the first 150-200 chapters for the fascinating premise and the "flashback" payoffs. However, be prepared to drop it once the plot begins to spiral, as the ending provides almost zero closure for the major mysteries.

Ending Note: The final arc is widely considered a failure. Major plot threads are abandoned, and the ending provides zero closure. If you need resolution, read the first half and imagine your own ending.

WebNovelDB Team

Key Information

Main Characters: Chen An (MC), The Sword Goddess (First Life Villainess), The Witch/Saintess (Western Arc), The System (The Antagonistic Force).

Power System: Multi-Life Cultivation. MC possesses diverse skills from nine different magic/cultivation systems, though he prefers not to use them.

Themes: The Burden of Immortality, Forced Misunderstanding, Emotional Burnout, The Futility of Atonement, Mentor-Student Trauma.

Similar To: The Yellow-Haired Villain in Soaring Phoenix’s Novels Also Desires Happiness, The Main Heroines are Trying to Kill Me, The Demon Prince Goes to the Academy, Regressor Instruction Manual

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