How to get NEAR Protocol for free?

I'm hearing that the NEAR Protocol has quite some buzz going around it. But my question is, is there really a way to acquire it without spending a dime? I'm all ears for any legitimate methods that could help me get started with NEAR without breaking the bank. Could you please elaborate on how I can potentially obtain the NEAR Protocol for free? Are there any specific tasks, airdrops, or community-based incentives that I could explore? I'm quite curious about the possibilities and I'm keen to know if there's any catch to it. So, can you share some insights into how I could potentially secure NEAR Protocol without investing any money?