Even Dox was left somewhat dumbfounded when he heard those four harsh restrictions.
Were time-type abilities all this exacting?
Moreover, according to Black Earl, once an error occurred during casting—even if it was merely the slightest lack of rigor in some detail—it would be difficult to remedy and would instead generate unknown variables.
The birth of variables meant that the chance of suffering backlash would also rise.
In other words, merely casting an ability could get you killed if you were not careful.
Dox found this truly unbelievable.
After all, they too could suffer backlash when casting spells, but the probability was extremely low. It happened more often when first learning a spell, when one's own cleverness led to mistakes. Once one had mastered the relevant spell, an energy-guidance memory would naturally form during casting. Following that energy memory, one would basically no longer suffer backlash.
Even if some detail lacked rigor, there were ways to remedy it as long as it was discovered before casting. Even if it could not be remedied, there were multiple methods of avoiding backlash.
But time-type abilities had to be cast with extreme caution whether one had just begun learning them or had mastered them long ago, because the casting process had to change according to the time, place, and person. Once a variable appeared, there was a chance of backlash. And once backlash occurred, the consequences would be impossible to predict.
This was a level of difficulty Dox could not imagine.
"Now, do you think it is fair?" Black Earl asked mildly in Dox's direction.
Dox gave an awkward smile. "Fair, very fair..."
Time-type Chain Slash seemed simple to cast, but its restrictions were immense, and it carried the risk of backlash. Bloodline spell Chain Slash placed demands on one's physique, so its