I said it before, you need to build a repatriation, then the merit does not matter anymore..
I hate when I have to quote myself but here it is..
Congrats!
Everyone can rank up, but if you wrongly prioritize your goals, it may never happen.
People putting their priorities in the following order fail.
1. Get Merit
2. Rank up
3. Get more money.
4. Go to 1.
The right priorities are :
1. Be curious
2. Start reading
3. Learn
4. Be part of the community
5. Do something to help the others
The result will be exactly what the the guys from the first list are aiming for.