You do realise that in FFVIII, enemies level up at the same pace as you do, right? Let's say you're level 80, and you get in a random encounter. The monsters you right will be around level 80. If you're level 9, the monsters you fight will be much weaker. Leveling up in FFVIII isn't very useful, and the game can actually be much easier at lower levels. This holds true for all but one or two bosses in the game. Leveling up is not the way to go to get stronger. :D