What was the first person who ever ate a tomato thinking?
And what about the first lunatic who said, "Hey, let's eat that thing with claws and armor"—and ate a crab?
And the one who coined the phrase "Don't touch a tiger's ass"?
What exactly did that person experience?
We'll probably never know—but because of people like that, humanity has accumulated knowledge across generations, slowly clearing the fog around the unknown.
No, this isn't about philosophy.
This is leading to one simple truth—
A person's life isn't complete until they've done at least one truly stupid thing.
That was the idiotic logic Leon used to justify choosing the third option.
A mysterious void… A dragon that devours darkness…
The description alone screamed "hidden final boss."
Darkness? Giant dragon? Definitely something you should not mess with.
And what was that "darkness" it devoured?
If he took a bite, what would happen?
At best: diarrhea and a sprint to the toilet.
At worst: mutation into a monster. There was absolutely no way the outcome was good.
Option three?
Pure madness.
Who would kick a dragon for no reason?
And talk trash on top of that?
Anyone with a functioning brain would choose option two—politely leave.
But… but…
Leon grit his teeth, finger trembling above the options.
A gentle voice whispered inside his heart:
"Just pick option two. Be careful. You're exploring a dungeon."
He wavered. His finger drifted downward.
But then another voice—sharp and seductive—slid into his ear:
"Are you really satisfied walking away? Aren't you curious what you might get?"
But… but being careful is important when exploring—
"Careful, careless—who cares? If an adventurer never takes risks, what's the point?"
But…
"Stop hesitating. Think about why you became an adventurer in the first place."
…Why did I start?
Wasn't it to prove something?
By the time Leon snapped out of it, his finger had already pressed—
Option 3.
[Kick Midir and say to him: "Please stop eating garbage."]
His entire face instantly warped in horror.
What kind of brain-malfunction made him pick that option!?
But thankfully, this was all text feedback, right?
Even if the option was stupid, it's not like anything too terrible would—
And then his surroundings changed.
Leon suddenly found himself in a pitch-black cavern.
A colossal black dragon stood before him—its monstrous head so close he could see the light glinting off each scale.
The dragon stared at him silently.
"…No way," Leon whispered. "Why is this immersive!?"
Darkeater Midir.
That was the dragon's name.
But this wasn't the real Midir—Sein Dungeon couldn't summon a being of his actual rank.
Leon didn't know this. To him, this might as well have been the original.
His breath alone felt strong enough to send Leon flying.
Leon trembled uncontrollably.
And yet, at this moment, a horrifying thought surfaced—
Kick Midir.
No. No, no, NO—
Leon's expression twisted like he was in a horror film as his legs began moving on their own.
He marched toward Midir.
The dragon tilted its head, puzzled by this tiny creature's behavior.
"Heh… hehehe…"
Leon stood beside Midir's foreleg, slowly lifting his foot with a hopeless, almost tearful smile.
"Splat."
His shoe—covered in some unknown sticky filth—landed on Midir's foreleg.
Midir froze for a moment.
Such a pathetic tap wasn't even worth acknowledging.
He touched filth every day eating darkness. He sometimes even rolled in it.
This meant nothing.
But then Leon opened his mouth—
"P-please… s-stop eating… g-garbage…"
"…"
Silence.
Deathly silence.
Midir stared at him.
Leon stood there trembling, soaked in cold sweat, ready to cry.
How could one option be THIS suicidally stupid!?
A roar erupted.
Leon never saw Midir's claw come down.
He died the instant the shockwave hit him.
[Your actions confused Midir. Devouring darkness is the mission bestowed upon him by Lord Gwyn, the Lord of Cinder. Though he didn't mind the kick, your disrespectful words warranted a light punishment.]
[Your mouth is filled with darkness. Your body has been defiled.]
[Vitality decreased. Movement speed reduced.]
[Blessing acquired: Banquet of the Abyss]
[Abyssal creatures will be terrified of you, their strength weakening before you. However, your mind will be eroded by the Abyss, leaving your sanity unstable.]
[Item acquired: A Handful of Black Mud]
[This mud was stuffed into your mouth by Midir. Throwing it will attract Abyssal creatures.]
The scene vanished.
Leon collapsed like a dead fish—coughing, gagging, trying desperately to vomit out the mud.
But it was pointless.
His stomach was empty except for breakfast.
It felt like a hallucination…
Yet he clearly remembered being force-fed mud.
He clearly remembered being roar-killed.
So why was he alive?
Unfortunately, his lowered vitality was real.
As for the "blessing"—hard to tell if it was good or bad.
Troubling. Very troubling.
Drew stood beside him looking perfectly fine.
"What happened to you?" Drew asked, casting healing magic.
Leon croaked, "You—cough—didn't see the black dragon?"
"What black dragon?"
They stared at one another.
After a long explanation, they reached a conclusion:
They had seen different worlds.
Leon met Midir and died stupidly.
Drew said he met a blacksmith named Andre, who taught him fist techniques.
Completely useless for a mage.
They had barely recovered when strange noises echoed from the front of the room.
Grotesque monsters dropped from above—bloated heads, twisted limbs, darkness dripping off their bodies.
Leon's body reacted—not emotionally, but literally.
The black mud inside him pulsed.
Abyssal creatures.
"Hehehe… perfect."
Leon drew his backhand sword and rushed forward with a crazed grin.
Drew blinked.
Yeah… something was definitely wrong with Leon's mental state.
Lucky I didn't experience something like that, he thought.
Then he froze.
…What about the others?
(***)
Meanwhile—
[While traversing chaotic space-time, you glimpsed fragments of another moment:]
[You saw three people who needed your help:]
[1. A man sighing in Firelink Shrine, hoping you can cheer him up.]
[2. A thief trembling in a sewer, begging for rescue.]
[3. A knight who fell into a well and wants you to pull him out.]
[Whomever you choose to help will grant you a reward.]
"What… is this?" Maru muttered.
Terl was gone—vanished from right beside her.
She quickly evaluated the options.
Option 1? Out.
She was terrible at comforting people.
Cheering up a depressed man was harder than slaying a monster.
Option 2? A thief. Suspicious.
Also out.
Naturally, she picked Option 3.
The scene shifted.
She appeared by a well and tossed down a rope.
Soon, a knight climbed out—wearing round, onion-shaped armor that looked almost comically puffy.
He showered Maru with praise and gratitude.
Even if she knew he was exaggerating, it still made her float a little.
But… why did his voice sound familiar?
No. Impossible. Her imagination.
"My weapon fell down too. Could you take a look?
If you find it, you can have it."
His voice was oddly sharp—unfitting for his bulky armor.
Maru peered into the well.
Nothing.
Wait—
Why did this pose feel so familiar?
Suddenly—
A huge force slammed into her from behind, kicking her straight into the well!
As she fell, she twisted around and saw the knight removing his helmet.
The face underneath—
She knew it.
Why… why was he here!?
"Hehe, you can only blame yourself for being greedy. Who told you to covet my weapon?"
Splash!
[You saved the knight, but his armor had been stolen by a despicable man. That man was lurking in the well, tricking passersby.]
[Good deeds aren't always rewarded. Perhaps next time you should be warier.]
[You've been soaked in cold water. You catch a severe cold. Your mind becomes hazy.]
"PATCHES!!!"
(***)
Elsewhere—
Even Sword Saint Gapar encountered something strange.
Two monsters stood before him:
A harmless-looking Mushroom Man.
And a grotesque worm-like Corrupted Favored.
[Please make your choice:]
[Option 1: Punch the Mushroom Parent once.]
[Option 2: Hug the Corrupted Favored.]