Fantastic start.
Story wise I'm pretty well hooked, only thing I'd say is to try and avoid the sandbox stagnation that a lot of other games seem to hit in medium-long term.
RPG elements are solid so far. Might be worth looking into some expansion of the item system (maybe items can drop with 0-2 special random modifiers or something in that vein) since it's not the best feeling to see inventory with 10+ of the exact same pair of shoes.
Characters are solid so far. MC is quite well done. I like how you managed to give him a few "character flaws" without making it feel totally obnoxious. Reasonable person + a few non-overbearing quirks is imo the best approach for a MC in these types of games.
Overall though, really excited for this game.