"The first round begins!"
The competition officially started after the host left the stage.
The contestants sprang into action. Some who couldn't stand the sight of each other immediately started fighting, while others simply attacked whoever was closest. But two or three of them chose to immediately use defensive items and hunker down in a corner of the arena.
A melee is different from a one-on-one duel. Unless one person is strong enough to crush everyone else, there's always the risk of being ganged up on and killed.
In a fifteen-person brawl like this, striking first actually puts you at a disadvantage. Your abilities and item effects will be observed and countered by others.
It was clear the three contestants hiding in their respective corners were using their heads, planning to pick off the survivors after everyone else had finished fighting.
"Kill them!"
"It's a sneak attack, get out of the way!"
