The Cub Raised in a Horror Game - Chapter 3 - She Called Him Brother

Chu Wang had taken in many orphans—the gravely ill, the severely injured, those on the brink of starvation… yet the children who managed to survive alongside him were ultimately few.

In a world so cruel, children were forced to experience the heaviness of farewells prematurely. They constantly witnessed their little companions laughing one day and dying the next.

For this very reason, the children had spent the past few months terrified; they were afraid that they might wake up one morning to find the little baby had simply passed away. Fortunately, under the care of their eldest brother, Inia, though still delicate, had managed to survive smoothly.

The spirits of the orphans had been consistently high these last few months; even though life remained dangerous, the mere thought of the baby at home made them ten times more energetic when they went out searching for supplies.

Witnessing the baby they cared for transform from being sickly to learning how to roll over and then crawl was a surprise beyond measure. With every new skill she acquired, the children would rejoice for several days.

How could there be an infant who brought such immense happiness?

The children found joy and healing in Inia; watching her gradually grow, they even began to hold a glimmer of hope for the future.

This also made staying at the base to look after their little sister their happiest job.

The boy left behind that morning to watch over the baby was six-year-old Tang Dou. Once, he had been fortunate enough to find a single jellybean from a salvaged bag of candy—and the moment he tasted it, he was completely enthralled.

Although it was his first time ever tasting sugar, the boy swore that nothing in the world could be sweeter than candy. Enchanted by that single experience, he even gave himself a new name—Tang Dou, meaning sweet bean.

Generally, Inia would sleep until noon, and Chu Wang would return home around that time.

But today, the baby woke up three hours earlier than usual. Still half-asleep, the little “Hell” let out a sleepy yawn, and the moment her eyes fluttered open, her first instinct was to look for her devoted “Gatekeeper of Hell.”

It was evident that Chu Wang had become so absorbed in caring for the little one that he had nearly forgotten his old desire to die alongside the others after finally holding the little boss in his arms. He was still out searching for supplies.

Inia stretched her little arms in her cardboard box crib. Before she could even call out to the older children, a wide-eyed, round-faced boy peered in at her.

“Nia, you’re awake! You woke up so early today.”

Tang Dou lifted the baby out and held her close in his arms, doting on her.

If Inia felt as light as a kitten in the hands of the tall and slender Chu Wang, then in the embrace of six-year-old Tang Dou, she felt like a perfectly sized teddy bear he could hold to his chest.

The baby also quite liked being held by her younger older brothers and sisters. A smaller-sized ‘brother-sofa’ was very comfortable to lean against; her chin and hands could rest on his shoulder, and she could also look at the scenery behind him.

Moreover, even though everyone thought their baby was frail and delicate, the truth was that Inia, who was fed well every day but had no place to burn off energy, was full of boundless vigor.

She would kick and wriggle in the arms of her other siblings, and they often struggled to hold onto her. Coupled with her pitiful, wronged expression, everyone would usually soften and quietly put her down to let her crawl on the floor.

Unlike a certain oversized ‘big brother-sofa’… ahem, he should be called the ‘Brother-Bus.’ Being held by him was not only like a high, airtight wall blocking her view, but the young boy’s arms were like seat belts, restraining the baby so tightly that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t run toward freedom.

Inia remained quietly nestled in Tang Dou’s arms for half an hour. She was the type of baby who thrived on attention, loving nothing more than being doted on and kept at the center of everyone’s world.

After receiving plenty of affection and being fed some mush, the spirited Inia was once again ready to set out and conquer the world.

“Ya ah!”

She kicked her tiny feet but couldn’t reach the blanket. Instead, the boy lifted her up and gently set her back into the cardboard box.

Tang Dou reached out to smooth the baby’s dark, curly hair, speaking to her with utmost seriousness, whether or not she could understand. “Inia, sweetie, Brother Chu said you need to rest for half an hour after eating. You can come out and play later, okay?”

“Mmm woo…”

Inia’s lips immediately quivered into a pitiful pout. Her tiny hands waved helplessly in the air, and her wide eyes, misted with tears, gazed up at him so sorrowfully it could melt anyone’s heart.

Being so completely relied upon by an infant felt as though he had become her entire world—like leaving her for even a moment would be an act of abandonment and betrayal.

The feeling carried weight—the heavy responsibility of nurturing a new life—but it was a sweet kind of burden, one that made him wish this baby who trusted him so much could stay happy and carefree forever.

Tang Dou’s heart softened completely. He could already tell that if he stepped out of her sight, she would burst into tears, and he couldn’t bear to see her sad.

“Then how about Big Brother holds you?”

The boy cautiously picked the baby up again. To make her forget her mission to crawl, he carried her around the small, circular base, distracting her.

The seemingly frail six-year-old, whose body was unexpectedly strong and sturdy from years of running, scavenging, and working, walked around the room with Inia for half an hour before finally setting her down on the blanket.

The baby, a true little “free spirit,” snapped wide awake from her post-meal drowsiness. The moment Tang Dou set her down, she darted off with surprising speed.

If she just crawled fast enough, it would be certain that one day she would conquer the entire base!

Inia crawled with boundless energy. Even as fatigue began to set in, the instant the boy reached out to catch her, she would wriggle away again, determined to keep going.

Just then, the door curtain lifted with a soft flutter, and a rush of cold air swept into the base. In the next moment, the baby was scooped up, her world suddenly rising as her perspective changed.

It was Chu Wang returning.

Inia had slept quite early last night, so Chu Wang had figured she might wake up early today. He hurried back, timing it perfectly.

The area where the baby lived was not only covered with patchwork blankets, but the older siblings also made sure to clean themselves before approaching it.

But no matter how much they cleaned, this was a space within a pile of junk, and it was hard to keep the area outside the ‘baby zone’ one hundred percent clean. There was plenty of dust on the baby’s clothes, proving she had just crawled out of her area and had been at it for quite some time.

Patting the dust off Inia, Chu Wang glanced at Tang Dou. The little boy, unable to resist the baby, felt his ears flush bright red with embarrassment and muttered a sheepish apology, “Brother Chu… I’m sorry.”

Though he understood that his older brother didn’t want Inia to crawl too much for her own sake, facing the baby’s teary, wronged little face made it truly difficult for him to be stern.

Chu Wang reached out and ruffled his hair. “Thank you for your hard work. You did well.”

Inia’s lively mischief was exactly what Chu Wang had anticipated. After all, she was a tiny Dungeon Lord, and at the moment, she was only crawling. He could already imagine that once Inia learned to walk and run, her antics would likely be wild enough to tear the roof off the place.

He didn’t want to stifle the baby’s will, but her fragile, delicate body was far too worrisome.

This was the first time Chu Wang had ever cared for an infant—let alone a Dungeon Lord. He constantly tried to be meticulous, fearful that something might go wrong for the baby in a world utterly unsuited to her.

Cradled in Chu Wang’s arms, Inia looked up at the brother who had been away all morning and finally relaxed, no longer squirming or fussing.

Tang Dou was a little envious. “The baby still likes Big Brother the most. I couldn’t coax her.”

“She likes you just as much,” Chu Wang had a deep understanding of Inia. “Otherwise, she would have cried all morning.”

As they spoke, the other children returned.

Everyone moved busily, coming and going, and Inia’s companion kept changing.

Each older brother and sister who spent time with the baby was remarkably patient. Even though she could only make simple “goo-goo” and “ga-ga” sounds, they spoke to her tirelessly, as if carrying on full conversations.

Evening was approaching when Chu Wang returned. He skillfully scooped Inia into his arms, soothing her while joining in the chatter with his younger siblings.

Watching the lively conversation, Inia blinked her large eyes, as if listening attentively.

“Wa ah… Brother…”

At that moment, she suddenly made a muffled noise, her words indistinct.

The small base instantly fell silent, and everyone looked at the baby in astonishment.

Tang Dou reacted instantly, jumping up and down in excitement. “Inia said brother! She said brother!”

At five to seven months old, a baby could, all on her own, vaguely babble “mama” and “baba,” though it remained an unconscious, instinctive stage. For infants, these two sounds are the easiest to produce.

Children didn’t understand any of this. They simply didn’t want Inia to learn to say “mama” or “papa” first—they wanted her to say “brother” or “sister” instead. Unfortunately, that was far too difficult for a little baby who had no family environment to provide the necessary foundation.

Months passed, and through the quiet, everyday moments that gently shaped her, the word that appeared most often in Inia’s world was “brother,” from “Brother Chu.” Overtime, these small, repeated moments brought about a profound change.

Everyone dropped what they were doing and clustered around the baby.

“Nia is so good! Say brother again.”

“Say Brother Tang Dou!”

“Baby, say older sister, older sister.”

Amid the excited voices, the stunned Chu Wang gradually recovered and looked down at the little baby in his arms.

Perhaps delighted by all the praise, or perhaps drawn by his gaze, Inia spoke again: “Brother.”

The tail of the word was slightly slurred and drawn out, making it sound irresistibly soft and sweet.

The enthusiastic older siblings cheered once more, and in the midst of the joyful atmosphere, Inia even managed to say “sister,” sending the excitement soaring even higher.

The scene might have been too much of a joyous frenzy, as the baby, who usually fully accepted their affection, seemed a little overwhelmed and quietly burrowed into Chu Wang’s embrace.

Chu Wang held her close, his slender fingers gently stroking her back.

Only he knew that beneath his composed exterior, he was far from nonchalant.

He understood that in this world, reunions were fleeting, and farewells were life’s inevitable truth. That was why Chu Wang had always rescued and protected the other orphans without ever truly opening his heart.

By having no expectations for others and not caring too much, he wouldn’t be sad when he lost them.

His heart had become like a thick clamshell, hardened and numbed from early exposure to a cruel world.

But his encounter with Inia had sparked a flicker of hope. The months of being inseparable from the baby, worrying over her, and placing her as his highest priority— thinking of her constantly even while scavenging for supplies—had all finally become a habit.

What had begun out of self-interest had gradually transformed into genuine affection.

Chu Wang’s fingertips tingled with warmth.

Brother…

She had called him Brother.