Arkinslize
I think the answer is in 'Not knowing when and why he closed his eyes to rest his dry eyes' . The when isn't important... the why however is. It was stated he became more nervous and vigilant and yet he rested his eyes for multiple seconds. Since he himself questions why he did it, it was definitely not his intention to do so. Meaning there has to be some kind of outside influence. That said.. I am happy he failed. He seems to have forgotten he can get rewards for killing stuff and perhaps there are other ways to earn titles too. Like reaching the center of the island might give some bonus related to exploring/survival. His lazy attitude kinda sucks at times. Luckily the author is pushing him out of his passive attitude. Really wonder what could kill him without realizing it though, considering how high his non physical stats are.
It seemed to me as if he would continue sitting there until he passed the second stage if something hadn't happened. Was he not worried about losing the extra rewards? I mean... "safe bet" doesn't seem like the optimal choice in his situation. A repeat of stage one seems like the best choice to me. Or maybe he bet that something would likely happen even if he sat there, and it would not let him pass the stage in comfort. In that case, the "safe bet" does make sense.