Nightmares

For the chapter or episode of the same name, see Chapter 42 and Episode 19.

Nightmares
Information
Japanese	夢魔
Rōmaji	Muma
Type	Dragon
Size	3-15 cm (Their shape is always different in a dream)
Habitat	The Island, Level 6 and below
First Appearance
Manga Debut	Chapter 42
Anime Debut	Episode 19
Navigation
← Previous	Hag
Next →	Ice Golem

Nightmares (夢魔, Muma^?) are type of monster in Delicious in Dungeon.

Anatomy and Appearance

Nightmares, otherwise known as shen, look very much like clams. In actuality they are a type of dragon.

Gallery

Nightmares side view.

Nightmares clams.

Nightmares being poured out of Marcille's pillowcase.

Behavior and Weaknesses

Nightmares hide in pillows and take hold of sleeping people to give them bad dreams and feed on their emotions. They particularly love emotional wounds, like those caused by stress or traumatic events, and will aggravate such memories to cause bad dreams. If a person remains trapped in their dream, they will eventually weaken and die.

If someone is having a dream caused by nightmares, they should not be forced awake as this can apparently cause mental damage; though in practice (for smaller nightmares) this seems to just leave them with no memory of the nightmare that occurred. One method of defeating them is to enter the victim's dream by falling asleep while using their body as a pillow, then protecting the victim's emotional wound. This can be dangerous, however, and should only be tried by experts.

Culinary Usage

Nightmares can be prepared much like their mollusk cousins. They will spit out the dirt and grime inside them if put in hot water for a short time. If boiled, the steam from the cooked nightmares will show a mirage of the dreams it caused as experienced by the dreamer.

They have been used in the following dishes:

Nightmares Steamed in Sake

Ice Golem Savory Egg Custard and Cooked Fish (from in the Golem)

Green Dragon's Acqua Pazza

Trivia

• In Chinese mythology, shen (蜃) are shape-shifting dragons that create mirages, with the character for shen also used to mean a large shellfish.