Get a decent bridge camera. I find a Sony RX10MK1 brilliant for shooting guides. Bigger sensor than most, excellent lens, ~£200 used.
I want to get good results of rock and climbers (for guides). I really don't want to go down the rabbit hole of learning a new hobby
Unfortunately the camera only has the potential for good results. The operator is the bit that makes the photos good. You don't need to learn much but start with some basic rules of composition and aperture/ shutter speed/ iso. The RX10 is well-stabilized so I normally just use ISO 125, aperture-priority, f/4.5 and be there...
I just want to shoot a nice picture of a rock with a sunset in the background but the rock isn't completely dark
Ha! What your asking requires either some editing in post or auto-computation like on a phone. The sensor size will have have a big impact on dynamic range (retaining details in both highlights and shadows), but the key thing is to shoot RAW and edit in post.