As I stepped out of the cave, the harsh sunlight assaulted my eyes. The weight of what I'd just witnessed pressed heavily on my mind. I took a deep breath, trying to clear my head. "Head east," I muttered to myself, recalling Ada's directions.

Warning: Exposure to direct sunlight may cause negative status effects

Perfect. Just perfect. I dismissed the notification with an irritated wave. The system's warnings were starting to feel less like helpful tips and more like someone pointing out the obvious while watching you drown.

I squinted against the glare, searching for any landmark that might orient me. But all around me, there was only the relentless sameness of sky and sand. Frustration shot through me as I reached for a compass that wasn't there.

I flipped through my inventory: health potions that glowed red, mana potions that pulsed with blue light, an equipment set that helpfully informed me that I "lack sufficient STR to equip this item." But no compass. The irony wasn't lost on me – a legendary knight who couldn't even wear his own armor. Some hero I was turning out to be.

I let out a resigned sigh.

Think, I commanded myself. What about a natural compass? As I wracked my brain, an uncomfortable memory surfaced.

----------------------------------------

“Child, it is time to test your survival skills.”

That man stood before me in a forest clearing with the scent of pine surrounding us.

“What should you do if you’re lost?”

My fingers twitched towards my pocket. “Turn on your GPS,” I replied, proud of my simple logical answer.

That man shook his head and let out an audible sigh. “How many times must we go through this.” He extended his calloused hand. “Pass me your phone,” he commanded.

I handed it over obediently, but couldn’t help feeling an unease knotted in my stomach. Some part of me already knew what was coming.

Crack. My smartphone met stone and my heart plummeted with it. I flinched at the sound, watching helplessly as pieces of glass scattered across the ground. I had just bought that phone. Three months of allowance saved up, carefully researching the best model within my budget. All that planning was reduced to shards on the forest floor. Last month it had been my gaming console. Before that, my wireless headphones. He always did this.

"Oops," he said, voice devoid of remorse. His cold, indifferent eyes bored into mine. "My hand slipped. Now what?"

I bit my lip, fighting back tears. I wouldn't cry. Not again. He hated that, and said it was another weakness.

"I don't know, sir." I finally managed to stammer out.

My sorrow was lost on that man. He didn't care. Or maybe he cared too much, in his own harsh way. I'd seen his own phone once, an ancient flip phone that could barely send texts. "Technology fails," he'd said when I'd asked about it. "People fail. You must be ready for both."

"How did the ancients do it?"

I swallowed hard, searching through my encyclopedic knowledge. "The skies, sir."

“Explain”

“Polaris, also known as the north star. It’s aligned with the north celestial pole, making it perfect for navigation. Ancient sailors used it to cross oceans. The Polynesians used the stars to find their way across the Pacific. The Arabs developed advanced astronomical navigation techniques during the Golden Age of Islam.”

He raised an eyebrow, just slightly. He never showed approval openly, but I'd learned to read the tiny signs. "But it's the middle of the day now."

"The sun, sir. It rises in the east and sets in the west." I paused, then added, "Though that's technically incorrect. The sun doesn't actually move, the Earth's rotation creates the illusion of solar movement across our sky."

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A faint smile touched his lips. "Save the astronomy lesson. Focus on what's useful right now."

I nodded, looking up at the sun filtering through the canopy. "You can use the sun's position to determine direction. Even on cloudy days, you can sometimes tell by the brightness where the sun is. And there are other signs - moss growth on trees, wind patterns, terrain features..."

“Good. Now head east to escape.” And with that, he disappeared into the foliage.

“Wait sir, don’t leave me here,” I cried out but the only response was the rustling of the trees. I was only seven.

----------------------------------------

I tilted my head back, peeking at the sky. The sun blazed overhead; it was noon. Perfect, if I could track its movement, I could determine my bearings. Sweat trickled down my back even as I celebrated my new revelation. Now I just needed to find a more comfortable place to observe the sun.

Status Effect: Heat Exposure HP drain: -0.2 per minute Recommended: Find shelter

The notification only confirmed what my body was already telling me. My shirt clung to my skin, soaked with sweat that instantly evaporated in the scorching air. Even breathing felt like inhaling fire.

I wandered around for a while more and found a colossal boulder that rose from the sand ahead, casting a shadow that promised relief from the blistering heat. I stumbled toward it and slumped against the stone. The shade helped, but barely. Instead of burning alive, I was just slowly cooking.

Status Effect: Heat Exposure reduced HP drain nullified

I leaned against the warmed stone, preparing myself for a long wait. My eyes noted the sun's position, anticipating its gradual arc across the sky.

Then, I heard a distant screech in the air. I couldn’t see anything yet but to be safe, I pulled out the small pouch of crystalline dust Ada had given me. My hands trembled slightly as I pinched some between my fingers, remembering how she'd used it previously. I took a deep breath and tossed the dust around me. The crystals caught the sunlight and scattered it, creating a shimmering dome. The world beyond warped and distorted.

Cloak of Light Status Effect: Invisibility

This should keep me safe for a while. I tucked the pouch away carefully, rationing what remained. Something told me I'd need more of this dust before my journey was done. Now all that was left was to wait.

And so I waited.

I counted seconds, then minutes. I tried to remember old survival tricks for measuring time, watching the shadow of my hand against the sand, waiting for it to move even a fraction. But it never did.

And I waited.

My water supply dwindled. I rationed it carefully, taking tiny sips that barely wet my tongue. The heat made it hard to think and difficult to focus.

And I waited.

Hours seemed to pass, but the sun refused to dip. My sense of time warped under the constant brightness, but I was certain I had been sitting there for at least a day. An uneasiness crept into my mind.

Something was wrong.

No matter how long I sat there, the sun hadn’t moved an inch. It was as if time had stopped.

Then it hit me.

In this land flooded with light, nightfall would never come.

New Class Quest: Restore the Night

I blinked at the notification, then blinked again. The text remained there as though it was mocking me.

Restore the night? I almost laughed. Sure, why not? While I'm at it, maybe I could rearrange some mountains or perhaps drain the ocean. I mean, what kind of absurd quest was this? 'Restore the night' - like it was some simple task, like finding someone's lost pet or fetching a parcel.

What was I supposed to do? Destroy the sun? Fight the God of Light himself? With my whopping F-rank strength and armor, I couldn’t even wear?

I pulled up the quest details, hoping for some hint of what I was supposed to do. But the game offered nothing else, no objectives, no waypoints, and no helpful NPC marked on a map. Just those three words that somehow managed to be both vague and overwhelming at the same time.

Maybe this wasn't just some random quest. Knight of the Night. That's what I'd forced my way into becoming, wasn't it? And now here I was, in a world drowning in light, being told to bring back the darkness. I wondered if the system had been trying to protect me from my stubbornness. After all, what use was a warrior of darkness in a world of light?

I had to admit, it had a certain dramatic flair to it. The kind of quest you'd expect from a legendary class. Though I'd hoped my first major quest would be something more along the lines of 'slay the dragon' rather than 'rewrite the laws of nature.'

The notification continued to hover, waiting for acknowledgment. I waved it away with a snort. First, I had to survive this desert. Then maybe I could worry about cosmic reformation.