How many hits it takes to kill a boss? That's a number. Doesn't matter is each hit is worth 30 damage or an unknown amount of damage (like in most Zelda games), it's the same end result.
No- I think we're talking about two different things here.
What I'm talking about, is a certain set of criteria (whatever term there may be for it), and what happens in Zelda games, doesn't fit the criteria I'm talking about. Now, I'm going to refrain from saying "RPG" because we already agreed to disagree on what the term refers to, and we already agreed there needs to be two different terms, separating my concept from your concept. So, Maybe I'll use my own term.
Maybe- NBLG? (Number-based-leveling-game)? I really can't think of anything better at the moment.
But anyway- the concept I'm referring to, (NBLG), Is quite different than what you're talking about. I mean, I'm not sure how else to put it into words, but it's not something that happens in Zelda games.
Simply because, according to what my concept means, there has to be a level system. This is why Pokemon, although I never thought of it as an NBLG as a kid, is in fact an NBLG. Though the player doesn't level up, the party however, does. And again, it revolves around Numbers. Hell- even the catch-rate for each Pokeball throw uses a complex algorithm that looks like something from an advanced math class.
And three times to kill a boss isn't necessarily a number-based-stat system- I mean, it could just be scripted to die after you do certain things. Like- cracking the armor off of (oh what was that called?) Molgera? no- anyway, the boss in WW that was yanking on Valoo's tail. All you have to do is initialize the scripted response for the armor cracking off a few times, then attack it in the same way you did to break the armor off. Same with Argorok from TP. Yes, technically an "amount" of times is a number- but it's not an HP-count. Hell, it probably isn't a health count at all. It's just scripted actions- Like cut-scenes. But again- I don't actually know what goes on behind the "curtain" of data, so perhaps certain bosses in Zelda (and even regular enemies) have some sort of invisible HP-count. If so, then there might be some characteristics of NBLGs hiding within; but even if so, It can't be a full-fledged one without character leveling. And on top of that, there's nothing to verify if it even has that in its coding, unless you have access to the knowledge of the game data used in making it. So, the common person wouldn't even know if it in fact has those qualities, since they'd remain hidden.
Anyway- my point in all of this is that we're thinking about two different concepts. And, two different concepts of "numbers" and "number-based" systems.