Walking is far harder than it used to be. I pretty much knew that would be the case, but it became more and more obvious as I walked more and more, with an hour’s effort finally getting me past… a tree. And a few rocks and even a snail. My speed… is not great.

Tired out, I know that I need something to eat, but there aren’t many options. The snail in question is still there, but it’s not appealing to me at all. I of course used to eat snails cooked once in a while, which I recall being called escargot, as it used to be some of my acquittances favorites, and although it was a bit much for me, I found it palatable enough. Staring at the amorphous blob with two eyes is far less appealing. As in, I’m not interested in the slightest.

I fear as this life goes on the food choices I make will be questionable.

…

My first meal of the day ended up being grass. Not an amazing surprise I suppose. I’m a turtle, and my options are essentially bugs or grass. Perhaps fish would’ve been an option, but I don’t know what’s in that lake, and when you hear the stories of adventurers being assaulted in lakes by giant monsters *shivers* I’d rather take the forest than the murky depths.

I’ve decided it’s better to adjust to my body before I try anything outrageous like hunting, (and frankly, I don’t know if I want to eat grub or insects for that matter) it’s probably best to taste my most available source of food.

So I just take a big bite out of the floor beneath me.

Does it taste good?

Sure, kind of. It’s not a dinner made by any chef, but it’s about what I expected.

It’s chewy, and takes me a minute or two to get through, but it’s perfectly palatable, with just a tint of sweetness in it. In fact, I take another bite.

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Again, it’s not bad, but it’s already getting old after the third and fourth bite.

[You do know you can just photosynthesize right? You were chosen the moss turtle form specifically for that.]

I hadn’t noticed him, lost in my meal, and the guide’s snuck up on me at some point, holding that “beanbag” from last time. Wait a minute.

Photosynthesis can be used to fill my stomach?

[Yeah. It also allows you to gain experience to level up. If you photosynthesize at least once a day, you’ll evolve in a year or so.]

Seriously? I fill my stomach and I gain these “exp” to evolve. Why didn’t you say so earlier?

[It was fun watching you eat grass. I’ve taken a recording and shared it with some other ai]

Ah. There are other players, so there are other guides. And you’ve recorded it… thank any lord above I don’t know these other players or I might just die of embarrassment.

Well, now that you’ve had your fun, might telling me how to activate photosynthesis be on the menu?

[It’s extremely easy actually. Just imagine it.]

There is no way it’s that easy. Actually, now that I think about it, monsters do this stuff on a regular basis, so if anything, it should be easier.

Let me try.

I imagine myself like a plant, absorbing the sun through me, and moving it through my body to produce sugar or something. Wait, I’m a turtle, so what exactly am I gaining from this exa---- woah!

In between thoughts I can feel something warm enter my body, and dear lord that feels great! DO all plants feel that way? Maybe I should’ve been a plant instead if that’s what they feel 24/7! No, actually, I’d be stuck in the same spot all the time, and frankly, I could end up being eaten by an herbivore, kind of like how I just ate that grass. Alright, not that great.

Anyway, I feel warm for a while as it travels through my body, until it eventually stops, leaving me full. I’m still receiving sun on my body, but it doesn’t quite feel the same.

My body feels complete, and yet I still feel a need to eat. I know I’ve had something to eat, but still begin to chew on grass again, which causes the guide to mirthfully chuckle as I hear a weird click. I ignore him of course, as a noble, harassment was perfectly normal. That sunlight just wasn’t filling.

Grass doesn’t taste bad at all, but dear lord, I pray that I find something else to eat. The creatures I’ve seen so far have not been to my palate so far.