Invincible: I Level Up In My Sleep

The Unseen Army

The creature that rose from the shadow of Yan Zheng’s boots did not breathe.

It stood six feet tall, completely draped in layered, tattered black linen that seemed to absorb the ambient torchlight from the city walls. Beneath the cloth, dark chainmail clicked softly against plates of unpolished midnight-iron. Its face was hidden entirely behind a faceless iron visor, save for two pinpoint apertures where cold, sapphire-blue flames flickered silently. In its gauntleted hands, it held a wicked, single-edged trench sword that bled a faint, smoky black vapor.

Fan Changyu, who had just rushed down the stone stairs of the rampart alongside a dozen elite city guards, froze at the bottom of the steps.

Her hand flew instinctively back to the hilt of her sword. The guards behind her raised their spears, their breath catching in their throats. The celebratory cheers that had been echoing across the battlements died down instantly, replaced by a tense, heavy dread.

"Your Highness! Stand back!" a guard captain shouted, his voice trembling as he tried to push past Fan Changyu. "There is a demonic entity behind you!"

"Hold your ground!" Fan Changyu snapped, her sharp eyes darting between the dark figure and Yan Zheng.

Unlike the guards, she had noticed something critical: the creature was not attacking. It remained on one knee, its head bowed so low that its iron helm nearly touched the crimson-stained snow at Yan Zheng's feet. It wasn't emitting the chaotic, bloodthirsty aura of a wild demonic beast; its presence was dead, silent, and entirely subservient.

Yan Zheng turned around slowly, his gaze drifting over the kneeling shadow soldier.

[Shadow-Guard Unit 1 Status]

Class: Shadow Vanguard (Tier 1)

Level: 3

Cultivation Equivalent: Level 3 Qi Refinement Realm

Attributes: Focused on Strength and Stealth

Trait: Perfect Camouflage, Absolute Loyalty (Cannot be broken or corrupted)

A satisfied smile played on Yan Zheng’s lips. In his previous life, managing a faction in high-level strategy games always required dealing with morale mechanics, resource maintenance, and the constant threat of betrayal from ambitious subordinates. But the Sovereign’s Crucible system removed all the messy variables. This soldier didn't need food, didn't need gold, and would march straight into the jaws of a dragon if he commanded it.

"Rise," Yan Zheng said smoothly.

The Shadow-Guard stood up in a single, fluid motion. It didn't make a sound. It moved like an extension of Yan Zheng's own shadow, shifting its weight to stand exactly half a step behind his right shoulder.

"Your Highness..." Fan Changyu stepped forward, her boots crunching carefully on the snow-dusted earth as she approached the crater. She looked at the headless corpse of Ba Tu, then at the terrifying dark soldier, her eyes filled with a mixture of confusion and intense reverence. "This warrior... where did he come from? I did not see him approach from the valley."

Yan Zheng turned to face her, his expression perfectly calm. "The late King left many secrets hidden within the foundations of Ironcliff, Changyu. This is merely the first line of my personal guard. There is no need for alarm."

It was a blatant lie, but in a world governed by ancient, mysterious cultivation inheritances and hidden family heritages, it was the perfect excuse. The locals would easily believe his dead father had left him a secret, powerful inheritance rather than guessing he was leveling up in his sleep via an otherworldly gaming system.

Fan Changyu’s eyes flickered with a sudden realization. *An inheritance!* she thought. *Of course. The King must have hidden a powerful soul-bound guard or an ancient body-tempering art specifically for the Prince, waiting for the moment the kingdom was in mortal peril.* Her respect for the late King deepened, and her devotion to Yan Zheng solidified even further. "I understand, Your Highness. Forgive our intrusion. The gates are secured, and the remaining enemy forces have completely fled the valley."

"They won't be gone for long," Yan Zheng said, his eyes narrowing as he looked toward the northern horizon, where the dark line of the forest met the gray winter sky. "Ba Tu was only leading the vanguard. Five hundred heavy cavalry is a drop in the bucket for the Iron-Blood Tribe. How long until their main army arrives?"

Fan Changyu's expression turned grim. "According to our scouts before the siege began, the main force consists of over ten thousand tribal warriors, led by the Tribal Chieftain himself, Ba Yan. He is a Level 18 master—deep into the Bronze Meridian Realm. They are currently burning through the outer farming villages. At their current pace, they will reach the city gates within forty-eight hours."

Ten thousand warriors against three hundred terrified, under-equipped city guards.

Even with Yan Zheng’s current Level 2 physical strength and his single Level 3 Shadow-Guard, holding the walls against a siege of that scale by brute force alone would be incredibly difficult. The city’s defensive arrays were broken, the food supplies were low, and the internal structure of the city was still reeling from Prime Minister Zhao's sudden execution.

But Yan Zheng didn't look worried. To a master strategist, an enemy army moving blindly with numerical superiority wasn't a death sentence—it was a target-rich environment.

"Forty-eight hours," Yan Zheng murmured, a calculating gleam in his eyes. "That gives me exactly two more sleep cycles inside the Crucible."

He turned back toward the guard captain who had been trembling moments ago. "Captain."

"Y-Yes, Your Highness!" The man instantly straightened his back, saluting with a fist over his heart, his eyes carefully avoiding the burning blue embers of the Shadow-Guard.

"Gather the remaining soldiers. Clear the battlefield, harvest the armor and weapons from the fallen enemy, and distribute them to any able-bodied citizen willing to defend their homes. If anyone attempts to loot or cause chaos in the city following Zhao’s death, execute them immediately."

"Understood!" The captain turned and began barking orders to the men above with a newfound energy. The prince's historic victory had completely injected a sense of hope into a military that had been ready to surrender an hour ago.

"Changyu, come with me to the royal study," Yan Zheng ordered, turning his back on the battlefield. "We need to map out the geography of the northern passes. If the Chieftain wants a war, I am going to turn these freezing mountains into his clan's graveyard."

"Yes, Your Highness," she replied instantly, falling into step beside him.

Behind them, the Shadow-Guard vanished directly back into Yan Zheng's shadow, disappearing as if it had never existed at all.

As Yan Zheng walked back through the iron gates of his castle, his mind was already racing. He didn't care about the worshipful glances of the citizens or the fearful bows of the remaining court servants. His focus was entirely on the system interface floating in his peripheral vision.

[Notice: Daily Crucible Sleep-State cool-down active. Time remaining: 11 Hours, 42 Minutes.]

[Current Level: 2 (410/500 EXP)]

[Unallocated Stat Points available: 2]

"Eleven hours," Yan Zheng thought, his jaw tightening. "Tonight, I need to clear the next floor of the Desolate Outpost. I need more stats, more levels, and most importantly... I need more shadows.”